Automotive Motorcycles

"About Harley-Davidson Motor Company"

2010-08-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

About Harley-Davidson Motor Company

Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the only major U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, produces heavyweight motorcycles and a complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories and general merchandise. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson's Web site at www.harley-davidson.com.

CONTACTS: John Shanks, NLEOMF, (202) 737-8529 or john@nleomf.org

SOURCE National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

"Kawasaki Ninja 250cc Strong and silent wins the race"

2010-08-23T00:11:00.000-07:00

FEW motorcycles boast true dual-purpose capabilities.

Some are good road bikes, but once the terrain gets loose with gravel or dirt, such bikes can't cope.

The 2010 Kawasaki KLX 250 is an exception.

This lean and green dirt machine will swallow open roads while tackling some off-road madness at the same time.

Just ask the Royal Malaysian Police based in Johor Baru.

Its Ninja Squad, tasked to nab robbers or traffic offenders, is equipped with the formidable 250cc KLX dirtbikes.

The squad has been successfully catching fleeing offenders, all thanks to the flexibility of the KLX 250.

It's agile in the streets and also over obstacles like stairs or even potholes found on dirt tracks.

With a 135kg wet weight (fully fuelled), the slim KLX is light, perfect for handling corners.

Making steering corrections while the KLX is tipped over in bumpy corners becomes a forgiving exercise.

Its low seat height also means that most riders will not be tip-toeing.

This boosts confidence and makes the KLX easier to ride compared to more focused dirtbikes.

Its dual-purpose tyres ensures that it can perform road duties and some intermediate off-road riding.

Other factors, like its smooth power delivery, make the electric start Kawasaki stand out.

Its six-speed gearbox doesn't stutter when the bike accelerates.

When ridden below 6,000rpm, it feels as though you're riding an automatic scooter, allowing you to lazily chug along city streets.

The almost silent exhaust will deceive newbies into thinking that the KLX is impotent.

Get the revs over the 7,000rpm mark and the engine starts to sing with urgency.

Higher up the rev range is where the KLX makes most of its power before hitting its 10,500rpm redline on the digital dash.

To squeeze every ounce of performance on fast trails, the bike should be ridden with the throttle wide open.

But don't expect any body-jolting torque from the KLX.

After all, it's only a 250cc bike.

Still, its suspension is perfectly tuned for the road as you will barely notice bumps that you have ridden over.

In off-road situations, some fine-tuning is required.

We increased the front and rear rebound damping to calm the KLX when the bike was ridden hard off-road.

The brakes on the KLX has a more progressive feel to them, unlike other braking systems which have a stronger initial bite when the brakes are activated.

Naturally, there are trade-offs compared to bigger capacity dirtbikes.

A medium-sized bike like the KLX has excellent mileage, unlike its bigger fuel-guzzling siblings.

But getting a little more oomph from the futuristic-looking KLX, which is equipped with pointed headlights and brakelights, will not be difficult.

Just add an aftermarket, slip-on exhaust pipe and you'll likely see some increase to the KLX's mid-range performance.

Another way is to replace its current 42-tooth rear sprocket with a bigger one.

This will give it more boost during acceleration, but at the expense of some top speed.

In its standard form, the KLX will cruise at 100kmh at 6,500rpm in sixth gear.

Top speed is in the range of 120kmh.

And its 7.6litre fuel capacity is claimed to be good for 220km.

plus 1, Research and Markets: The Swedish Medium and Heavy ... - Earthtimes

2010-03-17T09:25:00.001-07:00

plus 1, Research and Markets: The Swedish Medium and Heavy ... - Earthtimes

Research and Markets: The Swedish Medium and Heavy ... - Earthtimes

Posted: 17 Mar 2010 04:00 AM PDT

DUBLIN - (Business Wire) Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8b0c45/automotive_sweden) has announced the addition of the "Automotive: Sweden Industry Guide" report to their offering.

The Automotive: Sweden Industry Guide is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the Sweden Automotive industry. It includes detailed data on market size and segmentation, textual analysis of the key trends and competitive landscape, and profiles of the leading companies. This incisive report provides expert analysis with distinct chapters for Light trucks, Medium & Heavy Trucks, Motorcycles, New Cars and Trucks.

Scope of the Report

Contains an executive summary and data on value, volume and segmentation for Light trucks, Medium & Heavy Trucks, Motorcycles, New Cars and Trucks
Provides textual analysis of the industry's prospects, competitive landscape and profiles of the leading companies
Incorporates in-depth five forces competitive environment analysis and scorecards
Includes five-year forecasts for Light trucks, Medium & Heavy Trucks, Motorcycles, New Cars and Trucks

Highlights

The Swedish trucks market generated total revenues of $1.4 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -3.5% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
The Swedish light trucks market generated total revenues of $556.4 million in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -7.4% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
The Swedish medium and heavy trucks market generated total revenues of $817.8 million in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -0.3% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
The Swedish motorcycles market generated total revenues of $251.1 million in 2008, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6% for the period spanning 2004-2008.
The Swedish new cars market generated total revenues of $5.4 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -5.9% for the period spanning 2005-2009.

Why you should buy this report

Spot future trends and developments
Inform your business decisions
Add weight to presentations and marketing materials
Save time carrying out entry-level research

Key Topics Covered:

CHAPTER 1 LIGHT TRUCKS IN SWEDEN
CHAPTER 2 MEDIUM & HEAVY TRUCKS IN SWEDEN
CHAPTER 3 MOTORCYCLES IN SWEDEN
CHAPTER 4 NEW CARS IN SWEDEN
CHAPTER 5 TRUCKS IN SWEDEN
CHAPTER 6 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS
CHAPTER 7 APPENDIX
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8b0c45/automotive_sweden

Source: Datamonitor

Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager,
press@researchandmarkets.com
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

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Local man charged in six city burglaries - Free Lance-Star

Posted: 16 Mar 2010 09:33 PM PDT

Man caught on surveillance camera charged with multiple burglaries.

Date published: 3/17/2010

BY KEITH EPPS

A local man suspected of multiple burglaries over the weekend was arrested Monday after his image was captured on a surveillance camera, police said.

Charles Pace, 23, who has no fixed address, was charged with 16 offenses, including multiple counts of burglary and grand larceny.

According to Fredericksburg police spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe, Pace is accused of breaking into six city businesses over the weekend.

All of the businesses--Merryman's Service Center, Pulliam's Auto, Kenmore Cleaners, JT Automotive, Graves Auto Service and Battlefield Motorcycles--are in the same general area of the city.

The burglar stole cash in amounts from $50 to nearly $1,000 from five of the businesses. Laptop computers, a cash register and a flashlight were also taken.

City detectives were investigating the thefts Monday when they found that the surveillance camera at Battlefield Motorcycles on Lafayette Boulevard had gotten a picture of the suspect.

SUSPECT SPOTTED BY OFFICER IN PARKING LOT

Police recognized Pace on the picture, and a detective spotted him a short time later walking through a commuter lot downtown.

He was taken into custody without incident and placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.

Bledsoe said Pace was cooperative with police after his arrest.

Pace was also charged with destruction of property and carrying a concealed weapon. He had a pellet gun on him when he was arrested, Bledsoe said.

Stafford County authorities are also investigating Pace in connection with thefts there, police said.

Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com

Read more stories about Fredericksburg
Date published: 3/17/2010

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plus 2, Automotive > Motorcycles/ATV (2) - Waseca County News

2010-03-16T09:21:00.001-07:00

plus 2, Automotive > Motorcycles/ATV (2) - Waseca County News

Automotive > Motorcycles/ATV (2) - Waseca County News
BMW Motorcycle Stars in Million-Click Video - BNET
PARALLEL UNIVERSE: Shift Into Neutral If Your Car is Accelerating Out ... - HuntingtonNews.Net

Automotive > Motorcycles/ATV (2) - Waseca County News

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 12:16 PM PDT

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BMW Motorcycle Stars in Million-Click Video - BNET

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 01:27 PM PDT

A BMW motorcycle, the new BMW S 1000 RR, is creating some buzz for the brand. In a YouTube posting, the vehicle pulls off what BMW calls "the oldest trick in the world": the bike snatches a tablecloth out from under a full banquet setting, without upsetting anything.

That simple idea, along with a soundtrack mixing rock, classical music, and a roaring engine, has gotten BMW more than 1.4 million clicks and an online advertising award earlier this month, the company said. (The incredible video is loud, but otherwise suitable for work.)

In the Venn diagram of the BMW brand image, there's not much overlap between motorcycles and cars. In fact, for most people there's no overlap, because they're not even aware the company makes motorcycles. That's frustrating to BMW, because its automotive employees are proud of the bikes, too, and many of its highest-ranking auto executives are also motorcycle enthusiasts

Both kinds of BMW have a lot in common: high-performance technology, a reputation for being among the best-in-class; and a high price tag. In relative terms, BMW motorcycles may be even more expensive, exclusive and high-performance than the automobiles. For instance, the BMW S 1000 RR goes from zero to 62 mph in only 2.9 seconds, much faster than any ordinary car. This is what allows it to pull off the tablecloth trick.

Maybe this video, which doesn't mention cars, will get BMW motorcycles the attention the company craves.

Photo: YouTube via BMW

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PARALLEL UNIVERSE: Shift Into Neutral If Your Car is Accelerating Out ... - HuntingtonNews.Net

Posted: 16 Mar 2010 02:56 AM PDT

Sorry, readability was unable to parse this page for content.

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plus 1, BlingLights — Spectacular Assortment of Automotive ... - PRLog (free press release)

2010-03-15T09:27:00.001-07:00

plus 1, BlingLights — Spectacular Assortment of Automotive ... - PRLog (free press release)

BlingLights — Spectacular Assortment of Automotive ... - PRLog (free press release)

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 04:16 AM PDT

PR Log (Press Release) – Mar 15, 2010 – "Too much of the automotive world, BlingLights means vehicle lamp performance, whether on the race track, desert, outback, or on the street."

BlingLights LLC is a premiere company that is dedicated to selling the finest performance parts available for all vehicles types and models.

At BlingLights LLC, we offer you high performance automotive lights to give you the chance to enjoy the sparkling lights and visibility in any weather condition with an exclusive and unmatched opportunity to upgrade your vehicle with the very same technology which has been used in successful campaigns such as IMSA, SCCA and Indy Racing. Over the past five years, BlingLights has received numerous accolades from numerous aftermarket manufacturers, motorsports journalists, professional drivers and aficionados the world over.

www.blinglights.com, a division of www.blinglights.com is an online facility which is solely dedicated to providing you the highest quality automotive lights at the lowest prices possible. At www.BlingLights.com, we recognize that selling lamps to improve visibility, safety, and appearance involves more than grabbing a part off the shelf and making it "fit." That's why we thoroughly inspect our products to ensure you always get the international quality products. Fog lights, parking lights, side marker lights, and more, any thing you want for your vehicle is available at www.blinglights.com.

As we are committed to lead the future of automotive lighting and stand out as "lights with attitude," we carry a huge selection of fog lights and fog lamps for any vehicle. Our fog lights are intended for use at low speed to increase the visibility towards the road surface in conditions of poor visibility due to fog, rain, snow or dust. You will not need anything else to install and enjoy these fog lamps.

Perfect for customers without the factory fog lamps or as a replacement for the factory fog lamps, our BL527w Series Fog Lamp Kit outperforms the regular dealership fog lamps in any weather condition. For the sake of convenience, this kit also includes information on how to install using all the necessary included parts on your own. In addition to this, BlingLights toll free phone and email support can trouble shoot any difficulties or suggest where to have the lights installed to save on labor such as a local stereo shop in your area.

We are confident you will find the products we carry meet your standards. If you have further questions regarding BlingLights's products, our specialists are available to provide additional details for your particular application.

For more information about driving light and to purchase car lights please visit

http://www.blinglights.com/

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Market Report, "Automotive: Eastern Europe Industry ... - PR Inside

Posted: 12 Mar 2010 06:04 AM PST

2010-03-12 15:10:34 - New Manufacturing market report from Datamonitor: "Automotive: Eastern Europe Industry Guide"

Datamonitor's Automotive: Eastern Europe Industry Guide is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the Eastern Europe Automotive industry. It includes detailed data on market size and segmentation, textual analysis of the key trends and competitive landscape, and profiles of the leading companies. This incisive report provides expert analysis with distinct chapters for Light trucks, Medium & Heavy

Trucks, Motorcycles, New Cars and Trucks

Scope of the Report

* Contains an executive summary and data on value, volume and segmentation for Light trucks, Medium & Heavy Trucks, Motorcycles, New Cars and Trucks
* Provides textual analysis of the industry's prospects, competitive landscape and profiles of the leading companies
* Incorporates in-depth five forces competitive environment analysis and scorecards
* Includes five-year forecasts for Light trucks, Medium & Heavy Trucks, Motorcycles, New Cars and Trucks

Highlights

* The Eastern European trucks market generated total revenues of $8.6 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -5.3% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
* The Eastern European light trucks market generated total revenues of $3.3 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -$9.2% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
* The Eastern European medium and heavy trucks market generated total revenues of $5.3 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -2.4% for the period spanning 2005-2009
* The Eastern European motorcycles market generated total revenues of $1,541.9 million in 2008, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.4% for the period spanning 2004-2008.
* The Eastern European new cars market generated total revenues of $38.8 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.5% for the period spanning 2005-2009.

Why you should buy this report

* Spot future trends and developments
* Inform your business decisions
* Add weight to presentations and marketing materials
* Save time carrying out entry-level research

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
- www.fastmr.com/prod/53787_automotive_eastern_europe_industry_gui ..

Partial Table of Contents:

CHAPTER 1 LIGHT TRUCKS IN EASTERN EUROPE 12
1.1 Market Overview 12
1.2 Market Value 14
1.3 Market Volume 15
1.4 Market Segmentation I 16
1.5 Market Segmentation II 17
1.6 Market Share 18
1.7 Five Forces Analysis 19
1.8 Market Forecasts 26
CHAPTER 2 MEDIUM & HEAVY TRUCKS IN EASTERN EUROPE 28
2.1 Market Overview 28
2.2 Market Value 30
2.3 Market Volume 31
2.4 Market Segmentation I 32
2.5 Market Segmentation II 33
2.6 Market Share 34
2.7 Five Forces Analysis 35
2.8 Market Forecasts 41
CHAPTER 3 MOTORCYCLES IN EASTERN EUROPE 43
3.1 Market Overview 43
3.2 Market Value 45
3.3 Market Volume 46
3.4 Market Segmentation I 47
3.5 Market Segmentation II 48
3.6 Market Share 49
3.7 Five Forces Analysis 50
3.8 Market Forecasts 56
CHAPTER 4 NEW CARS IN EASTERN EUROPE 58
4.1 Market Overview 58
4.2 Market Value 60
4.3 Market Volume 61
4.4 Market Segmentation 62
4.5 Market Share 63
4.6 Five Forces Analysis 64
4.7 Market Forecasts 70
CHAPTER 5 TRUCKS IN EASTERN EUROPE 72
5.1 Market Overview 72
5.2 Market Value 74
5.3 Market Volume 75
5.4 Market Segmentation I 76
5.5 Market Segmentation II 77
5.6 Market Share 78
5.7 Five Forces Analysis 79
5.8 Market Forecasts 86
CHAPTER 6 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS 88
CHAPTER 7 APPENDIX 89
7.1 Data Research Methodology 89

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Eastern Europe Light Trucks Market Value: $ billion, 2005-2009 (e) 14
Table 2: Eastern Europe Light Trucks Market Volume: Units thousand, 2005-2009 (e) 15
Table 3: Eastern Europe Light Trucks Market Segmentation I: % Share, by Value, 2009 (e) 16
Table 4: Eastern Europe Light Trucks Market Segmentation II: % Share, by Value, 2009 (e) 17
Table 5: Eastern Europe Light Trucks Market Share: % Share, by Volume, 2009 (e) 18
Table 6: Eastern Europe Light trucks Market Value Forecast: $ billion, 2009-2014 26
Table 7: Eastern Europe Light trucks Market Volume Forecast: Units thousand, 2009-2014 27
Table 8: Eastern Europe Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Value: $ billion, 2005-2009 30
Table 9: Eastern Europe Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Volume: Units thousand, 2005-2009 31
Table 10: Eastern Europe Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Segmentation I: % Share, by Value, 2009(e) 32
Table 11: Eastern Europe Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Segmentation II: % Share, by Value, 2009(e) 33
Table 12: Eastern Europe Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Share: % Share, by Volume, 2009(e) 34
Table 13: Eastern Europe Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Value Forecast: $ billion, 2009-2014 41
Table 14: Eastern Europe Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Volume Forecast: Units thousand, 2009-2014 42
Table 15: Eastern Europe Motorcycles Market Value: $ billion, 2004-2008 45

Full ToC is available at:
-- www.fastmr.com/catalog/product.aspx?productid=53787&dt=t

About Datamonitor

The Datamonitor Group is a world-leading provider of premium global business information, delivering independent data, analysis and opinion across the Automotive, Consumer Markets, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Logistics & Express, Pharmaceutical & Healthcare, Retail, Technology and Telecoms industries. Datamonitor's market intelligence products and services ensure that you will achieve your desired commercial goals by giving you the insight you need to best respond to your competitive environment. View more research from Datamonitor at www.fastmr.com/catalog/publishers.aspx?pubid=1002

About Fast Market Research

Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.

For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.

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plus 2, Review: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi SLS, great chassis in need ... - Examiner

2010-03-14T10:26:00.001-07:00

plus 2, Review: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi SLS, great chassis in need ... - Examiner

Review: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi SLS, great chassis in need ... - Examiner
Are loud motorcycles legal? - Seattle Post Intelligencer
Just Released: "Automotive: Poland Industry Guide" - PR Inside

Review: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi SLS, great chassis in need ... - Examiner

Posted: 13 Mar 2010 08:01 PM PST

Comment Subscribe

Picture if you will a handsome looking four door sedan, sized on the smaller end of the mid-size market. It has a nicely styled and appointed interior. Power from the four cylinder engine is put to the road through an advanced all-wheel-drive system. This car can handle curvy rural roads with the grace you'd expect of a car developed on German autobahns and racetracks. This description sounds an awful light like an Audi A4.

In fact we just spent a week with the new Suzuki Kizashi. When people hear the name Suzuki, they generally think either small SUVs or motorcycles, often very, very fast motorcycles. Cars not so much. The Kizashi is Suzuki's latest attempt to break into the heart of the U.S. car market. Suzuki is one of the best selling car brands in Japan but it does so selling tiny urban commuters for the crowded streets of cities like Tokyo and Osaka. Americans prefer something more ample in size.

The Kizashi first appeared as a series of concepts that grabbed a lot of attention in 2007 and 2008. The design was toned significantly by the time it hit the streets of America in late 2009 but this is still a good looking car. At 183.1 long overall, the Kizashi is 7 inches shorter than a Ford Fusion and the wheelbase is 1.1 inches less than the Ford.

The pronounced shoulder curve that runs the length of the body combines with the flared wheel arches and relatively short overhangs to give the Kizashi an athletic looking stance. The standard 18 inch alloy wheels on our SLS test example add to that planted, hunkered down appearance avoiding the small wheel, tippy look of some past Suzuki cars.

At the front the tall, bold grille looks almost Audi-esque giving the impression that this upstart really does want to challenge the respected German. Move inside the Kizashi and the upscale impression continues. Even though the dash is predominantly composed of hard rather than soft-touch plastics, it looks good. The seats are covered in black leather as are the thick rimmed steering wheel and part of the door panels above the arm rest. The front seats are comfortable and offer decent amount of lateral support for more spirited driving.

The Kizashi SLS that we drove was equipped with a 425 watt Rockford-Fosgate audio system with 10 speakers. The audio system sounds good with all kinds of music. All Kizashis get a USB port to connect an iPod. Unfortunately the controls on the audio system only allow forward and back control through the current playlist. navigating the entire menu doesn't seem to be possible.

All Kizashis from the base $18,999 S model up to the top SLS trim level get automatic dual zone climate control with additional vents at back end of the center console. The back seat isn't as roomy as what you'll find in a larger Toyota Camry or Honda Accord. It will however accommodate a 6 foot 14 year old in reasonable comfort. As with most cars in this segment, three adults will find themselves rather crowded in back, but kids shouldn't have any problem.

For now all Kizashis are powered by a 2.4-liter inline-four that produces 185 horsepower with the six-speed manual transmission or 180 hp with the optional continuously variable transmission (CVT). CVT equipped cars like our tester get paddle shifters on the back of the steering wheel allowing some limited degree of manual control.

CVTs have generally not found favor with most American drivers because of the way that they allow the engine to rev up to some fixed speed and hold it there as the car accelerates and drive ratio changes. In the case of the Kizashi, that generally means the engine spins up to about 4,000 rpm and holds there. Some other CVT equipped sport sedans are programmed to operate across a set of fixed ratios more like a conventional automatic transmission. The CVT in the Kizashi also seems to sap much of the life out of the engine, leaving the car feeling sluggish even when shifting manually. We'd recommend that those looking for more fun stick with the manual transmission.

The highlight of the Kizashi comes on the open road. Suzuki spent a significant amount of its development time tuning the suspension at the legendary Nurburgring race track in Germany. The Kizashi has excellent body control just the right balance of spring rates and damping. The roads around our part of southeast Michigan are notoriously bad but the Kizashi remains on an even keel at all times. The suspension absorbs the frost heaves and potholes very well for a car with such large wheels and low profile tires.

Around corners the steering is direct and precise although feedback could be better. The all wheel drive provided sure-footed grip during some late winter snow, making this a viable alternative to a Subaru Legacy or a Quattro equipped Audi A4.

The CVT is not particularly responsive to commands issued with the paddle shifters. Ratio changes are lethargic and the ratios you get aren't always predictable. Instead of gears 2,3,4 and 5 always being the same, the transmission control seems to modify them based on the conditions. For what is billed as a sports sedan by Suzuki, the transmission control should be more predictable.

Aside from the unimpressive CVT, the Kizashi is a pleasantly compact, nimble and agile drivers car. Later this year Suzuki is expected to add a V6 engine to the lineup and a hybrid powertrain is under development. Personally we'd like to see Suzuki skip the V6 and go with a turbocharged version of the four. Pair that with a dual clutch transmission like Volkswagen's DSG and you'd have a powertrain capable of taking advantage of this chassis making it a true cut-rate Audi. It would likely do better than the 22 mpg we saw in a week of driving the CVT car.

The Kizashi starts at $18,999 for a front wheel drive S model with manual transmission. Our thoroughly equipped SLS with all wheel drive had a bottom line of $27,484 including delivery charges.

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Are loud motorcycles legal? - Seattle Post Intelligencer

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 08:18 AM PST

Different forms of this question came from several readers:

Q: Are motorcycles with loud exhausts legal? Do they ever get ticketed?

A: Police say some motorcycle exhaust systems are illegal, though specific statistics on how often Seattle motorcycle riders get cited for them were not available.

Seattle Police spokesman Mark Jamieson references Seattle Municipal Code 11.57.280:

No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motorcycle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the engine of such vehicle above that emitted by the muffler originally installed on the vehicle, and it shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motorcycle not equipped as required by Sections 11.84.060 and 11.84.080 or which has been amplified as prohibited by this section so that the vehicle's exhaust noise exceeds ninety-five (95) decibels as measured by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) test procedure J1169, (May, 1998). (RCW 46.37.390(3))

"It doesn't have to be modified," Jamieson said of a motorcycle's exhaust system. "If someone is sitting there with a stock motorcycle and its really loud, they would be cited for excessive noise."

People on bikes violating the city law can get a $124 ticket. But how often are those tickets issued?

"It really depends on how busy the night is," he said. "If there are shootings and robberies and assaults, we're not going to be citing people for excessive noise on vehicles because we're too busy."

Calls to police are prioritized depending on the severity of the call. But police say all 911 calls get some kind of response.

According to section 11.84.080 of the code, all motor vehicles must be equipped with a muffler in good working order at all times and in constant operation.

A quiet library averages 30 decibels; a lawnmower averages 90 decibels, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. An alarm clock or busy street average 80 decibels; a jet engine and firearms average 130 decibels, according to the Association.

Jim McCaslin, president and chief operating officer of Harley-Davidson Motor Company, called the issue of excessive motorcycle noise one of the company's toughest challenges "because of its potential to divide and destroy our sport."

Here's more of McCaslin's comments from the Harley-Davidson Web site:

Today, Harley-Davidson motorcycles have more power and performance than our predecessors could have ever imagined, but with all due respect, we love to hear them coming. That doesn't mean louder noise equals even more power, however. It's an interesting misconception. Testing has proven that straight pipes do not necessarily outperform pipes with lower noise levels. Pick the wrong pipes and you can severely reduce your horsepower and/or your torque. And while you're doing it, you'll awaken the sleeping giant of social concern that lives next door to all of us.

Thanks to people who submitted questions. Please keep submitting questions. We'll continue this as a regular Seattle 911 feature.

Click on the links for previous answers.

Is there a legal limit for the number of pit bulls in a Seattle home?
Is proof of insurance required in rental cars?
Car rolls backwards downhill and crashes. Who is at fault?
Do you have to drive all the way around traffic circles?
Is it legal for bikers 'riding the line' of bike lanes?
Are left turns onto one-way streets allowed at red lights?
Are cars required to have one license plate or two?
Rear-end accident: Who's at fault?
Why are cops exempt from hands-free cell phone law?
Is it possible to beat a Breathalyzer by sucking on a penny?
Is it illegal for dogs to ride in truck beds unsecured?
Is there a quick way to get Seattle crime statistics?
Can you get a DUI on a bicycle?
Are authorities at funeral processions on the clock?
How can I get officers to patrol downtown gang areas?
Why don't police arrest more Critical Mass cyclists?
When do school speed zone limits apply?
Why do police speed without their lights and sirens?
Do construction companies pay for an officer's presence or do the taxpayers pick up the tab?
Why are police officers allowed to drive their cruisers to and from their homes, sometimes more than 30 miles out of their jurisdictions?
How do the police gain access into a secured apartment complex in the case of an emergency?
Is it legal to drive with pets in your lap?
How to bust people illegally using handicapped parking.
How to voice concerns about buses.
What cops need to patrol condos better.
How do we get a car pool ramp monitored?
Is it legal to drive barefoot or with flip-flops?
Do gravel trucks have to cover their loads?
What should I do when non-emergency line has no answer?

Submitted questions may be edited or paraphrased for length.

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Just Released: "Automotive: Poland Industry Guide" - PR Inside

Posted: 07 Mar 2010 06:28 PM PST

2010-03-08 03:25:38 - Recently published research from Datamonitor, "Automotive: Poland Industry Guide", is now available at Fast Market Research

Datamonitor's Automotive: Poland Industry Guide is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the Poland Automotive industry. It includes detailed data on market size and segmentation, textual analysis of the key trends and competitive landscape, and profiles of the leading companies. This incisive report provides expert analysis with distinct chapters for Light trucks, Medium & Heavy Trucks, Motorcycles,

New Cars and Trucks

Scope of the Report

Highlights

* The Polish trucks market generated total revenues of $2.9 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -1% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
* The Polish light trucks market generated total revenues of $831.1 million in 2009, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.6% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
* The Polish medium and heavy trucks market generated total revenues of $2.1 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -2.6% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
* The Polish motorcycles market generated total revenues of $379.2 million in 2008, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 75.7% for the period spanning 2004-2008.
* The Polish new cars market generated total revenues of $7 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.9% for the period spanning 2005-2009.

Why you should buy this report

* Spot future trends and developments
* Inform your business decisions
* Add weight to presentations and marketing materials
* Save time carrying out entry-level research

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
- www.fastmr.com/prod/53800_automotive_poland_industry_guide.aspx

Partial Table of Contents:

CHAPTER 1 LIGHT TRUCKS IN POLAND 12
1.1 Market Overview 12
1.2 Market Value 14
1.3 Market Volume 15
1.4 Market Segmentation I 16
1.5 Market Segmentation II 17
1.6 Market Share 18
1.7 Five Forces Analysis 19
1.8 Market Forecasts 25
CHAPTER 2 MEDIUM & HEAVY TRUCKS IN POLAND 27
2.1 Market Overview 27
2.2 Market Value 29
2.3 Market Volume 30
2.4 Market Segmentation I 31
2.5 Market Segmentation II 32
2.6 Market Share 33
2.7 Five Forces Analysis 34
2.8 Market Forecasts 40
CHAPTER 3 MOTORCYCLES IN POLAND 42
3.1 Market Overview 42
3.2 Market Value 44
3.3 Market Volume 45
3.4 Market Segmentation I 46
3.5 Market Segmentation II 47
3.6 Market Share 48
3.7 Five Forces Analysis 49
3.8 Market Forecasts 57
CHAPTER 4 NEW CARS IN POLAND 59
4.1 Market Overview 59
4.2 Market Value 61
4.3 Market Volume 62
4.4 Market Segmentation 63
4.5 Market Share 64
4.6 Five Forces Analysis 65
4.7 Market Forecasts 71
CHAPTER 5 TRUCKS IN POLAND 73
5.1 Market Overview 73
5.2 Market Value 75
5.3 Market Volume 76
5.4 Market Segmentation I 77
5.5 Market Segmentation II 78
5.6 Market Share 79
5.7 Five Forces Analysis 80
5.8 Market Forecasts 87
CHAPTER 6 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS 89
CHAPTER 7 APPENDIX 91
7.1 Data Research Methodology 91

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Poland Light Trucks Market Value: $ million, 2005-2009 (e) 14
Table 2: Poland Light Trucks Market Volume: Units thousand, 2005-2009 (e) 15
Table 3: Poland Light Trucks Market Segmentation I: % Share, by Value, 2009 (e) 16
Table 4: Poland Light Trucks Market Segmentation II: % Share, by Value, 2009 (e) 17
Table 5: Poland Light Trucks Market Share: % Share, by Volume, 2009 (e) 18
Table 6: Poland Light Trucks Market Value Forecast: $ million, 2009-2014 25
Table 7: Poland Light Trucks Market Volume Forecast: Units thousand, 2009-2014 26
Table 8: Poland Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Value: $ billion, 2005-2009(e) 29
Table 9: Poland Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Volume: Units thousand, 2005-2009(e) 30
Table 10: Poland Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Segmentation I: % Share, by Value, 2009(e) 31
Table 11: Poland Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Segmentation II: % Share, by Value, 2009(e) 32
Table 12: Poland Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Share: % Share, by Volume, 2009(e) 33
Table 13: Poland Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Value Forecast: $ billion, 2009-2014 40
Table 14: Poland Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Volume Forecast: Units thousand, 2009-2014 41
Table 15: Poland Motorcycles Market Value: $ million, 2004-2008 44
Table 16: Poland Motorcycles Market Volume: Units thousand, 2004-2008 45
Table 17: Poland Motorcycles Market Segmentation I: % Share, by Value, 2008 46

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2010-03-13T09:32:00.001-08:00

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Now Available: Automotive: Taiwan Industry Guide - PR Inside
Steven Cole Smith, Orlando Sentinel Automotive Editor - Orlando Sentinel

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Posted: 12 Mar 2010 11:51 PM PST

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Now Available: Automotive: Taiwan Industry Guide - PR Inside

Posted: 12 Mar 2010 06:19 AM PST

2010-03-12 15:19:27 - Fast Market Research recommends "Automotive: Taiwan Industry Guide" from Datamonitor, now available

Datamonitor's Automotive: Taiwan Industry Guide is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the Taiwan Automotive industry. It includes detailed data on market size and segmentation, textual analysis of the key trends and competitive landscape, and profiles of the leading companies. This incisive report provides expert analysis with distinct chapters for Light trucks, Medium & Heavy Trucks, Motorcycles,

New Cars and Trucks

Scope of the Report

Highlights

* The Taiwanese trucks market generated total revenues of $763.2 million in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -21.3% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
* The Taiwanese light trucks market generated total revenues of $608.5 million in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -21.6% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
* The Taiwanese medium and heavy trucks market generated total revenues of $154.6 million in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -20.2% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
* The Taiwanese motorcycles market generated total revenues of $1,647.9 million in 2008, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% for the period spanning 2004-2008.
* The Taiwanese new cars market generated total revenues of $7.9 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -7.4% for the period spanning 2005-2009.

Why you should buy this report

* Spot future trends and developments
* Inform your business decisions
* Add weight to presentations and marketing materials
* Save time carrying out entry-level research

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
- www.fastmr.com/prod/53808_automotive_taiwan_industry_guide.aspx

Partial Table of Contents:

CHAPTER 1 LIGHT TRUCKS IN TAIWAN 12
1.1 Market Overview 12
1.2 Market Value 14
1.3 Market Volume 15
1.4 Market Segmentation I 16
1.5 Market Segmentation II 17
1.6 Market Share 18
1.7 Five Forces Analysis 19
1.8 Market Forecasts 25
CHAPTER 2 MEDIUM & HEAVY TRUCKS IN TAIWAN 27
2.1 Market Overview 27
2.2 Market Value 29
2.3 Market Volume 30
2.4 Market Segmentation I 31
2.5 Market Segmentation II 32
2.6 Market Share 33
2.7 Five Forces Analysis 34
2.8 Market Forecasts 40
CHAPTER 3 MOTORCYCLES IN TAIWAN 42
3.1 Market Overview 42
3.2 Market Value 44
3.3 Market Volume 45
3.4 Market Segmentation I 46
3.5 Market Segmentation II 47
3.6 Market Share 48
3.7 Five Forces Analysis 49
3.8 Market Forecasts 56
CHAPTER 4 NEW CARS IN TAIWAN 58
4.1 Market Overview 58
4.2 Market Value 60
4.3 Market Volume 61
4.4 Market Segmentation 62
4.5 Market Share 63
4.6 Five Forces Analysis 64
4.7 Market Forecasts 70
CHAPTER 5 TRUCKS IN TAIWAN 72
5.1 Market Overview 72
5.2 Market Value 74
5.3 Market Volume 75
5.4 Market Segmentation I 76
5.5 Market Segmentation II 77
5.6 Market Share 78
5.7 Five Forces Analysis 79
5.8 Market Forecasts 85
CHAPTER 6 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS 87
CHAPTER 7 APPENDIX 89
7.1 Data Research Methodology 89

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Taiwan Light Trucks Market Value: $ million, 2005-2009 (e) 14
Table 2: Taiwan Light Trucks Market Volume: Units thousand, 2005-2009 (e) 15
Table 3: Taiwan Light Trucks Market Segmentation I: % Share, by Value, 2009 (e) 16
Table 4: Taiwan Light Trucks Market Segmentation II: % Share, by Value, 2009 (e) 17
Table 5: Taiwan Light Trucks Market Share: % Share, by Volume, 2009 (e) 18
Table 6: Taiwan Light Trucks Market Value Forecast: $ million, 2009-2014 25
Table 7: Taiwan Light Trucks Market Volume Forecast: Units thousand, 2009-2014 26
Table 8: Taiwan Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Value: $ million, 2005-2009(e) 29
Table 9: Taiwan Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Volume: Units thousand, 2005-2009(e) 30
Table 10: Taiwan Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Segmentation I: % Share, by Value, 2009(e) 31
Table 11: Taiwan Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Segmentation II: % Share, by Value, 2009(e) 32
Table 12: Taiwan Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Share: % Share, by Value, 2009(e) 33
Table 13: Taiwan Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Value Forecast: $ million, 2009-2014 40
Table 14: Taiwan Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Volume Forecast: Units thousand, 2009-2014 41
Table 15: Taiwan Motorcycles Market Value: $ million, 2004-2008 44
Table 16: Taiwan Motorcycles Market Volume: Units thousand, 2004-2008 45
Table 17: Taiwan Motorcycles Market Segmentation I: % Share, by Value, 2008 46

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-- www.fastmr.com/catalog/product.aspx?productid=53808&dt=t

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Steven Cole Smith, Orlando Sentinel Automotive Editor - Orlando Sentinel

Posted: 12 Mar 2010 06:22 PM PST

In 1996, Bill Warner, a Jacksonville businessman and car collector, decided to put on a car show, so he and his friends assembled some nice vehicles, drawing a modest crowd of 2,200 and raising some money for charity.

To say the Amelia Island Concours has grown is an understatement. "This show is as good as it gets," says Keith Canouse, an Orlando car collector. "I think it's the best in the country," perhaps even surpassing the Pebble Beach Concours, regarded as the king of all car shows, held each year since 1950 in California. Canouse is part of a contingent from the Orlando area that is displaying at Amelia this weekend — he's bringing his 1914 Renault.

"Amelia is a user-friendly show," Canouse says. Warner goes out of his way to make everyone feel welcome, not just the automotive elite. One reason: Warner and his co-chariman, Tom Cotter, consider themselves just a couple of car guys. Cotter has an important collection of Shelby Cobras and Shelby Ford Mustangs, but his daily drive is a 2004 Mini Cooper.

Given the fact that the show, this weekend celebrating its 15th anniversary on Amelia Island near Jacksonville, is considered on par with Pebble Beach, celebrating its 60th birthday this summer, speaks to the work Warner has done. "It doesn't get easier," Warner says. "Every year has its own set of problems."

Such as: Warner, a motorsports enthusiast, always packs the four-day program with multiple racing seminars that draw fans who may or may not be interested in classic cars. This year, he assembled a trio of race drivers unparallel in their influence: Richard Petty, 72, the winningest NASCAR driver ever; Don Garlits, 78, considered the king of drag racing, and Sir Stirling Moss, who competed from 1948 to 1962, winning an incredible 212 of the 529 races he entered, including 16 Formula 1 races.

But last week, Moss, 80, fell at his home in England, breaking both ankles and multiple other bones. Warner's legendary trio became a duo until another legend, racer and car builder Carroll Shelby, agreed to step in. That Shelby, 87 and with a transplanted heart and kidney, would drop everything and come to Florida on such short notice speaks to the influence of Amelia and Bill Warner.

Sunday, the show will draw more than 10,000 people for the judging of the 250-plus vehicles on display, chosen from thousands entered. It's an invitation-only show, and just being accepted to display at Amelia, much less win your class, adds to a vehicle's cachet and value.

Among those displaying is Dave Brewer of Longwood, bringing his 1953 Buick Skylark hardtop. It is one of a kind — "It's entered in a class called, 'Cars you never even realized were built,'" Brewer says. Buick built some Skylark convertibles, but the company built one hardtop just to gauge the reaction. "Usually, cars like that were destroyed after they were shown, but this one survived," he says, because the wife of a General Motors executive liked the car, and it was customized for her tastes. "Amelia Island is the kind of show you just can't miss," Brewer says. "The quality of cars is amazing."

And it isn't just cars: Each year, Warner selects a few brands to feature, and this year, one of them is Triumph motorcycles. Mike Crone of Mount Dora has a national reputation as a Triumph restorer and collector, and he's bringing four bikes: A 1950, 1951 and 1953 model, plus his favorite: "A 1938 Triumph, an original Speed Twin formerly owned by Bud Ekins," a late and legendary stuntman who was the riding partner of actor Steve McQueen. Crone has never even been to the Amelia Island show, but he's aware of the reputation. "I'm looking forward to being a part of it," he says.

Each year, the Amelia Island Concours raises more than $100,000 for charities that include the Community Hospice of Northeast Florida and the Spina Bifida Association. The show begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Sunday, with judging beginning at 11 a.m. Admission is $50 for adults, $20 for ages 12-18, and free for ages 11 and under.

For more information, including how to get there on the grounds of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Amelia Island, log onto AmeliaConcours.org

Sentinel Automotive Editor Steven Cole Smith can be reached at scsmith@orlandosentinel.com

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plus 3, Market Report, "Automotive: Eastern Europe Industry ... - PR Inside

2010-03-12T09:17:00.001-08:00

plus 3, Market Report, "Automotive: Eastern Europe Industry ... - PR Inside

Market Report, "Automotive: Eastern Europe Industry ... - PR Inside
New Market Research Report: Automotive: South Africa ... - PR Inside
Special STARS Softball Classic continues to grow - News-Sun
Pulstar Pulse Spark Plugs Now Available in Iridium ... - WebWire

Market Report, "Automotive: Eastern Europe Industry ... - PR Inside

Posted: 12 Mar 2010 06:04 AM PST

2010-03-12 15:10:34 - New Manufacturing market report from Datamonitor: "Automotive: Eastern Europe Industry Guide"

Trucks, Motorcycles, New Cars and Trucks

Scope of the Report

Highlights

Why you should buy this report

* Spot future trends and developments
* Inform your business decisions
* Add weight to presentations and marketing materials
* Save time carrying out entry-level research

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
- www.fastmr.com/prod/53787_automotive_eastern_europe_industry_gui ..

Partial Table of Contents:

Full ToC is available at:
-- www.fastmr.com/catalog/product.aspx?productid=53787&dt=t

About Datamonitor

About Fast Market Research

For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.

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New Market Research Report: Automotive: South Africa ... - PR Inside

Posted: 12 Mar 2010 06:04 AM PST

2010-03-12 15:10:40 - New Manufacturing market report from Datamonitor: "Automotive: South Africa Industry Guide"

Datamonitor's Automotive: South Africa Industry Guide is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the South Africa Automotive industry. It includes detailed data on market size and segmentation, textual analysis of the key trends and competitive landscape, and profiles of the leading companies. This incisive report provides expert analysis with distinct chapters for Light trucks, Medium & Heavy

Trucks, Motorcycles, New Cars and Trucks

Scope of the Report

Highlights

* The South African trucks market generated total revenues of $4.4 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
* The South African light trucks market generated total revenues of $3.8 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.2% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
* The South African medium and heavy trucks market generated total revenues of $658.6 million in 2009, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.9% for the period spanning 2005-2009.
* The South African motorcycles market generated total revenues of $139 million in 2008, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.3% for the period spanning 2004-2008.
* The South African new cars market generated total revenues of $4.6 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -9.2% for the period spanning 2005-2009.

Why you should buy this report

* Spot future trends and developments
* Inform your business decisions
* Add weight to presentations and marketing materials
* Save time carrying out entry-level research

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
- www.fastmr.com/prod/53803_automotive_south_africa_industry_guide ..

Partial Table of Contents:

CHAPTER 1 LIGHT TRUCKS IN SOUTH AFRICA 11
1.1 Market Overview 11
1.2 Market Value 13
1.3 Market Volume 14
1.4 Market Segmentation 15
1.5 Market Share 16
1.6 Five Forces Analysis 17
1.7 Market Forecasts 23
CHAPTER 2 MEDIUM & HEAVY TRUCKS IN SOUTH AFRICA 25
2.1 Market Overview 25
2.2 Market Value 27
2.3 Market Volume 28
2.4 Market Segmentation 29
2.5 Market Share 30
2.6 Five Forces Analysis 31
2.7 Market Forecasts 37
CHAPTER 3 MOTORCYCLES IN SOUTH AFRICA 39
3.1 Market Overview 39
3.2 Market Value 41
3.3 Market Volume 42
3.4 Market Segmentation 43
3.5 Market Share 44
3.6 Five Forces Analysis 45
3.7 Market Forecasts 51
CHAPTER 4 NEW CARS IN SOUTH AFRICA 53
4.1 Market Overview 53
4.2 Market Value 55
4.3 Market Volume 56
4.4 Market Share 57
4.5 Five Forces Analysis 58
4.6 Market Forecasts 64
CHAPTER 5 TRUCKS IN SOUTH AFRICA 66
5.1 Market Overview 66
5.2 Market Value 68
5.3 Market Volume 69
5.4 Market Segmentation 70
5.5 Market Share 71
5.6 Five Forces Analysis 72
5.7 Market Forecasts 78
CHAPTER 6 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS 80
CHAPTER 7 APPENDIX 82
7.1 Data Research Methodology 82

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: South Africa Light Trucks Market Value: $ billion, 2005-2009 (e) 13
Table 2: South Africa Light Trucks Market Volume: Units thousand, 2005-2009 (e) 14
Table 3: South Africa Light Trucks Market Segmentation: % Share, by Value, 2009 (e) 15
Table 4: South Africa Light Trucks Market Share: % Share, by Volume, 2009 (e) 16
Table 5: South Africa Light Trucks Market Value Forecast: $ billion, 2009-2014 23
Table 6: South Africa Light Trucks Market Volume Forecast: Units thousand, 2009-2014 24
Table 7: South Africa Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Value: $ million, 2005-2009(e) 27
Table 8: South Africa Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Volume: Units, 2005-2009(e) 28
Table 9: South Africa Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Segmentation: % Share, by Value, 2009(e) 29
Table 10: South Africa Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Share: % Share, by Volume, 2009(e) 30
Table 11: South Africa Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Value Forecast: $ million, 2009-2014 37
Table 12: South Africa Medium & Heavy Trucks Market Volume Forecast: Units, 2009-2014 38
Table 13: South Africa Motorcycles Market Value: $ million, 2004-2008 41
Table 14: South Africa Motorcycles Market Volume: Units thousand, 2004-2008 42
Table 15: South Africa Motorcycles Market Segmentation: % Share, by Value, 2008 43
Table 16: South Africa Motorcycles Market Share: % Share, by Volume, 2008 44
Table 17: South Africa Motorcycles Market Value Forecast: $ million, 2008-2013 51
Table 18: South Africa Motorcycles Market Volume Forecast: Units thousand, 2008-2013 52

Full ToC is available at:
-- www.fastmr.com/catalog/product.aspx?productid=53803&dt=t

About Datamonitor

About Fast Market Research

For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.

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Special STARS Softball Classic continues to grow - News-Sun

Posted: 12 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PST

published: Friday, March 12, 2010

Special STARS Softball Classic continues to grow

Special to the News-Sun

SEBRING - The Special STARS Softball Classic grows every year with more and more local athletes showing an interest in playing ball with individuals with disabilities.

The roster for this year's 11th annual event increased by adding one more team that will play in the tournament on Saturday, March 13, at the Highlands County Sports Complex.

There have been seven local teams practicing for the past three weeks to go up against two teams from Fort Lauderdale.

The newest addition to this year's list of teams is the Avon Park Youth Academy headed up by coach Pete Zeegers.

Other team sponsors are Coffee News, coached by Andy Basso; Beef O'Brady's led by Amy Torres; Florida Hospital Heartland Division, coached by Craig Couch; McPhail's Auto Sales, led by Bobby Sexton; Duffer's Sports Grille, coached by David Sipos; and Dee's Place, led by Tim Ritenour.

The main All-Star sponsors for the entire tournament are Highlands Sertoma Club and Wal-Mart of Avon Park and Sebring.

The Sebring Elks Lodge 1529 is sponsoring the shirts for the volunteers.

All of these sponsors will have representatives present to toss out the first pitch of the tournament.

For special athletes wishing to learn the skills of playing softball, there is a skill level sponsored by Aaction Pest Control and Lampe & Kiefer Hearing Aid Center.

These individuals have been practicing four different skills and will compete for ribbons on Saturday. They will be tested on throwing, fielding, batting and running the bases.

Playing action begins at 8 a.m. with an opening ceremony at 7:45 a.m.

The Heartland Riders Association will carry in the American flag by motorcycle followed by the national anthem. The Heartland Riders are also sponsoring part of the lunch for the athletes and will be on hand to distribute it.

Athletes with disabilities have been evenly distributed to each team. The slow-pitch softball game has four special athletes playing with three male and three female partners in the community.

The public is invited to come and cheer on the local teams. There will be a concession stand selling hot dogs, french fries, chips and sodas to benefit Special STARS.

There will be a Home Run Derby open to anyone. It will be $5 for 10 balls and the winner will get half of the money raised in their division while the other half goes to Special STARS.

Each batter selects their own pitcher and there will be three different levels - men, women and special athletes.

Other tournament sponsors include Doris and David Magowan, Morris Funeral Chapel, Heacock Insurance Agency, Reflections on Silver Lake, Highlands Independent Bank, Beta Sigma Phi, Stephenson-Nelson Funeral Home, Roadhouse Grill, King Equipment, Frames & Images, Donna Lyles and Anissa Jones, and Jim and Carol Phipps.

The Highlands County Board of County Commissioners allow Special STARS to use the fields at no cost.

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Pulstar Pulse Spark Plugs Now Available in Iridium ... - WebWire

Posted: 12 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PST

Contact Information: Louis Bledsoe; Owner; MotorNetExpress.com; 505-688-4410; sales@betrmpg.com

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Enerpulse, Inc., manufacturer of Pulstar Pulse Plugs, has begun shipping their new Platinum and Iridium Pulstars to resellers.

Previewed to the automotive aftermarket community at the SEMA show in Las Vegas this past November, the new Pulstars bring the durability of noble metal electrodes to the revolutionary technology of the Pulstar Pulse Plug.

Increasing consumer demand and the establishment of distribution through several national auto parts stores has brought the company to new production levels, resulting in new efficiencies and cost savings in the manufacturing process. The original copper electrode Pulstar sold for $24.95 (or more) per plug during most of first year and a half of production, and recently became available at an MSRP of $12.95 as new 'Generation 3' manufacturing technology was fully implemented.

"Pulstars are much more complex internally than spark plugs, but they must be exactly the same size externally, so we have always been challenged with physical durability, particularly of the porcelain component. With Generation 3, our failure rate is consistent with other high quality spark plugs on the market." reports Lou Camilli, President and Chief Technical Officer of Enerpulse. "Now, as we introduce the Platinum and Iridium electrode models, we offer additional choice to the consumer, based on their driving style. The Platinum Pulstar is a significant upgrade from the earlier copper electrode Pulstars, but we are suggesting a retail price of only $9.95 per plug, a 20% cost reduction simultaneous with a major increase in service life due to the extra durability of platinum vs. copper."

Driving styles fall into two broad categories, according to extensive market research. "Just as many people consider fuel economy very strongly in their vehicle purchase decisions, many also DRIVE their vehicles with a deliberate effort to conserve gas. They are gentle on the accelerator, they don't have to be in the fast lane to be comfortable, and they keep their air filter and oil changes on schedule. These drivers will upgrade to Platinum Pulstar Plugs and see an improvement in fuel economy of 7%, or more. This translates to recovering the cost of a set of brand new Pulstar Platinum plugs in about ten thousand miles of driving a six cylinder sedan and paying $2.50 a gallon for gas. Higher gas prices mean an even faster payback."

The other category of drivers uses the accelerator a bit like an adrenalin pump. We all have our moments. Acceleration just feels good; maybe it's a control thing. And the largest sporting events in the world are conducted at race tracks. "At $12.95 each, Iridium Pulstar Plugs provide a much lower 'cost per horsepower gained' than aftermarket mods such as air intake or exhaust systems. We have seen as much as a 17% increase in some vehicles, but 2% to 3% is more realistic. The 2% to 3% in TORQUE that is also typically achieved is the real attention getter." Drivers consistently report a different "feel", especially when just beginning to accelerate. "TORQUE is what you FEEL!" It was obvious that Camilli identifies with category B.

Enerpulse is also introducing the Iridium Pulstar in two sizes that will fit over 1,800 popular motorcycles, including Harley Davidson, Honda, Yamaha, and BMW models. "Motorcycle riders are much more sensitive to performance, and we have gotten an extremely enthusiastic reaction from the riding community!"

One of Pulstars' most ardent resellers is Lou Bledsoe, who markets Pulstars on eBay and his own website. "100% positive feedback and almost every transaction has been a Pulstar sale." Bledsoe is a classic Category A driver. He has been using Pulstars in his family vehicles since hearing about them on NPR in April of 2008. "We installed the Pulstars in a Volvo, a BMW, and our faithful 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4×4 V8 with over 150,000 miles on it. They all improved, but the Jeep amazed us, jumping up to over 19 miles per gallon on the highway." If you have to be convinced to be convincing, both Lou's will look you in the eye without blinking. "Pulstar Pulse Plugs make a difference you can feel as you drive, a difference you can measure with a dynamometer and emissions tester, and a difference you can count in dollars and cents at the gas pump."

WebWireID114083

Related Links: Learn more about Pulstar Pulse Plugs; Buy Pulstar Pulse Spark Plugs on eBay

: Pulstar Spark Plugs; Pulstar Pulse Plugs; Pulstar Plugs; Best Spark Plugs; Iridium Platinum Pulstar

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plus 3, BMW and VW Results Show Money Is Still in Selling ... - New York Times

2010-03-11T09:10:00.001-08:00

plus 3, BMW and VW Results Show Money Is Still in Selling ... - New York Times

BMW and VW Results Show Money Is Still in Selling ... - New York Times
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Posted: 11 Mar 2010 08:50 AM PST

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CrimeTracker 15: Burglary Suspects Arrested - nbc15.com

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 08:07 AM PST

Posted Thursday, March 11, 2010 --- 10:10 a.m.

Press Release from the Rock County Sheriff's Office:

On March 9, 2010, Detectives from the Rock County Sheriff's Office, along with Deputies from the Rock County Special Investigations Unit, served search warrants at 424 and 426 Center Avenue in the City of Janesville. Detectives were looking for stolen property that was being kept in these residences.

Detectives had been investigating burglaries to storage facilities since November 2009. The storage facilities were located in townships outside the City of Janesville. Individual storage units were being burglarized at numerous storage facilities. Items that were being stolen during the burglaries ranged from tools, luggage, vehicle wheels, automotive racing parts, motorcycles and snowmobiles.

During the investigation, Detectives developed suspects in these burglaries. The investigation culminated on March 9 when Detectives were able to recover a significant amount of stolen property. The property was recovered during consent searches and during two search warrants. Over $40,000 worth of property was recovered. Property was also recovered from burglaries that occurred in the City of Janesville and Beloit Township.

Recovered items include: A snowmobile, a motorcycle, high performance racing parts, a flat screen TV, luggage, tools, collectible coins, a go-kart, several sets of vehicle wheels, golf clubs, and an assortment of other items. These items will be returned to their respective owners.

At this point in the investigation, four subjects were arrested as a result of this investigation.

They are:
Zachary L. Trezek, 18 years of age
Adam J. Hollis, 17 years of age
426 Center Avenue
Janesville, WI 53545
Charge: Burglary and Theft

Gregory C. Lehr, 18 years of age
109 North Atwood Avenue
Janesville, WI 53545
Charge: Burglary and Theft

Dylan R. Lambert, 18 years of age
201 North Grant
Janesville, WI 53545
Charge: Burglary and Theft

All four subjects were initially arrested on one charge of burglary and theft each. The investigation is continuing and it is anticipated that more counts of burglary and theft will be referred to the District Attorney's Office on all four subjects.

Initial Appearance: Monday, April 12, 2010, at 1:00PM.

Pursuant to the directive of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicity, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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Winningest Female In Professional Motorsports History ... - The Auto Chanel

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PST

NEW ORLEANS, March 11, 2010: Angelle Sampey, who is the winningest female in professional motorsports history, is hanging up her helmet and leathers as she announces her retirement as a professional drag racer.

Sampey, who totaled 41 victories during a 13-year NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle career, said she's planning to pursue other career opportunities while looking to start a family with her fiancé, Seth Drago.

"I'm ready for a new challenge, including opening Coral Fever, a store specializing in fish, coral and aquariums," said the 39-year-old. "I made the ultimate sacrifice to postpone starting a family when I began racing. Now, I'm going to make the ultimate sacrifice to stop racing to get married (in June) and then try and start a family."

The Louisiana native made her NHRA debut in 1996 at Bandimere Speedway outside of Denver and immediately raised eyebrows by advancing to the semifinals. She recorded her first win in her first final round later that season at Reading, Pa. in the fourth event of her career.

"I will take away so many great memories from racing," she said. "I'm certainly going to miss being around my fellow racers and, of course, the fans. I really enjoyed meeting the fans at every race. They were always there for me through the good times and the bad times." To be sure, Sampey did not experience many bad times since '96. In fact, she captured three world championships and banked 18 wins between 2000 and 2002.

"Obviously, that was an extraordinarily exciting time period," she offered. "I never imagined I could have that kind of success. I was very fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of talented people including George Bryce (her crew chief during each championship season)." It was in 2001 when Sampey became the winningest female in NHRA history, moving past Shirley Muldowney on the list. She went on to pocket seven wins that season which remains the most wins ever recorded in a single season by a female competitor in NHRA history.

"To be honest, it was tough to comprehend what I had done after I surpassed Shirley's win total (18)," she said. "After all, Shirley is one of the sport's legends. I look up to her." Among Sampey's final stats will be a staggering 364 round wins out of 506 total rounds of competition or a win roughly 72 percent of the time she blasted down the quarter-mile.

"Again, I want to emphasize that I had a bunch of people help me along the way," she related. "I could spend a day or more thanking each and every one. I'll never forget any of them."

Perhaps, the one mark Sampey wishes she could have broken before exiting the sport was the most wins in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class – 45 – as established by the late Dave Schultz.

"That's probably true," she said. "I clearly could've hung around just to try and break that record. But, as I stated, it's time for a change."

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It’s no mystery that writing is Oklahoma woman’s ... - Daily Oklahoman

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 06:06 AM PST

Mary Cash leaned over a hospital bed to hear what she thought were her mother's last words.

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More Info

Books written by Mary Ellen Cooper

• "Unlikely Assassins" (1992).

• "Blood and Pity" (1994).

• "Murder at the Locksmith Convention" (1997).

• "The Wright Special" (1998).

• "Fatal Trust" (2000).

• "Key Deceptions" (2000).

• "Uncivil Death" (2001).

• "Key Confrontations" (2003).

• "Slow Death ... and Other Oklahoma Murders" (June 2003).

• "Uncivil Death in Norfolk" (2004).

• "Deadly Patterns" (2004).

• "Deadly Redlands" (2004).

• "Murder in Mexico" (2005).

• "Bold and Brassy" (2007).

Cooper wrote short stories included in these anthologies:

• "Almostly Murder ... With Pets" in 2002.

• "Remindful Murder With Colorful Kin" in 2008.

She also compiled a cookbook titled "In the Kitchen with Oklahoma First Ladies 1907-1957," published in 2008.

"'Black Pearl,'" her mother whispered through a respirator.

"What's 'Black Pearl'?" Cash asked.

"Send the manuscript to New York," her mother requested.

That was 1992. Doctor's were telling Cash's mother, Mary Ellen Cooper, now 77, who had been in an auto accident, that she wouldn't walk again, but instead, the Stillwater-based writer had her books on her mind.

Today, both Marys laugh about this story.

"Black Pearl" is a romance novel set in India about a young woman who was orphaned and walked across much of India in 1859. An editor expressed interest in publishing the book a couple of days before Cooper's accident. Cash delivered "Black Pearl" immediately, but it never was published.

But that wouldn't set Cooper back.

She would have 14 of her books either published or self-published after "Black Pearl" and would soon start work on a true-crime book, "Blood and Pity." The back flap of the book reads, "In the tradition of 'Sleeping With the Enemy,' here's the terrifying true story of a conman-turned-killer who murdered his two wives — and possibly others."

But Cooper's car accident would bring news almost as chilling as anything on the pages of "Blood and Pity."

Cooper said doctors told her she broke 19 bones.

"One doctor said, 'We're not working with broken bones, we're working with shattered bones,'" Cooper said. "It's kind of odd. I never doubted I would recover."

Cooper seems as if she's used to defying expectations. Cooper is the kind of person who's quick to pour a glass of cranberry juice, which matches the color of her sweater and pants, and won't hesitate talking about her grandchildren and extended family.

Many of Cooper's books present a harsh contrast to the warm, endearing home she lives in and resembles.

The same woman who wrote "Fatal Trust" and "Deadly Patterns" has numerous pictures of smiling family members hanging on her walls.

She owns a rosary so large, it could fit around the necks of all 12 apostles.

The board game "Is the Pope Catholic? And Other Catholic Trivia" sits atop one of the several bookshelves overflowing with literature.

Nothing about the place points to a person interested in mystery or intrigue.

But people turn to Cooper to tell their sometimes horrifying personal stories. She has interviewed hundreds of people, from ex-convicts to the mothers of murderers, to complete her stories.

Cooper's car accident and the unpublished book "Black Pearl" are footnotes to the pages of her life.

Before Cooper retired at 59 to become a full-time writer, she worked with her husband, Charlie Cooper, to maintain a motorcycle shop, bicycle shop and locksmith business in Stillwater. The two shared a passion for motorcycles.

She recalled her days working at a beauty shop in Stillwater before marrying Charlie in 1952. He would jump on his motorcycle and leave his family bike shop. When he passed the beauty shop, he would lean around the corner of W Sixth Avenue and S Main Street while his foot pegs sparked against the asphalt.

This is the part of the story where Cooper puts her hands over her heart.

"I thought he was the most dashing, handsome man in Payne County," Cooper said.

After getting married, Cooper managed the local motorcycle shop while her husband ran the bicycle and lock shop. Her eight children also kept her busy.

Between staying on top of business matters and rearing the couple's eight children, Cooper didn't get much time to work on writing, but she read heavily.

"She has always been a multitasker," said Linda Bartram, Cooper's daughter and owner of Cooper's Locksmith. "When we were growing up, I remember her having a baby on her hip, a book in the hand (while) stirring a pot. That's just Mom, always reading."

Cooper said starting her full-time writing career was rough.

"I'd say (to my husband), 'You want to hear what I've written?'" she asked.

He replied with a no.

"He was not at all encouraging," Cooper laughed.

Bartram remembered an article her mother wrote in the '80s that combined several family road trips into one tale. The Coopers traveled in a large motor home nicknamed the Titanic. Bartram said during one trip the Titanic smashed into a black cow, and the animal embedded the motorcycle mounted to the front of the Titanic into the motor home's grill.

"From there, the trip went downhill," Bartram said.

Running on a tight schedule, the family couldn't stop for repairs. The Coopers continued with the motorcycle stuck to the hood. It acted like a scary, expensive hood ornament all the way to Los Angeles.

"My dad didn't appreciate (her writing) that one," Bartram said.

Cooper said her husband's attitude changed after her book "Unlikely Assassins" came out.

In an Ohio hotel lobby, a woman hollered at Cooper and asked for an autograph.

"After that happened, he would start telling people, 'My wife writes books,'" Cooper said. "Before that, he thought I was being silly."

"Unlikely Assassins" wasn't a silly story. Cooper detailed the story of Francine Stepp and Cindy Lynn, two teens who murdered a Stillwater couple. On June 8, 1988, Mark and Delores Stepp were found naked in their bedroom. Mark Stepp had been shot, and the couple had been stabbed a combined 27 times.

Cooper said she tried to get her son-in-law Billy Bartram, one of the investigating officers at the time, to write a book about the case. She said he was sick of the case and never wanted to hear about it again.

Cooper did.

She said she began her work on the story the following fall. She interviewed teachers, sat through the court hearings and talked to several of the suspects' friends. She even visited the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in Oklahoma City where the girls were held.

Cooper also assists others in writing stories. Once a month, the Stillwater Writers' Group meets to edit and discuss stories. Local science-fiction writer Dennis Gronquist has visited Cooper's home for writers' group sessions for about eight years.

"It takes someone that cares and has patience (to help with writing)," he said. "She is such a moral support. She is the most important mentor I've ever met."

Not only has Cooper and her writing helped others, the books have helped Cooper, her daughter said.

"The books have been good for her," Bartram said. "A lot of people shut themselves off from the world. She has kept her mind functioning by being a part of things."

Although Cooper said she doesn't recall how many books she has sold, she does know why she writes.

"Many of the writers I know make a little bit (of money)," Cooper said. "I think (the important thing is) the satisfaction of seeing your work in print, knowing you researched it and wrote it. If somebody likes it, then it warms your heart."

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Thunder vs. Hornets: Thursday, March 10, 2010

NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Hornets and the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Photos by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

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plus 3, AUTO RACING PACKAGE: Auto Racing Glance - The Ledger

2010-03-10T09:11:00.001-08:00

plus 3, AUTO RACING PACKAGE: Auto Racing Glance - The Ledger

AUTO RACING PACKAGE: Auto Racing Glance - The Ledger
Home Equity Impacts Retirement Planning More Than Stock Market Crash - Insurance News Net
Activision Blizzard shows off footage from True Crime reboot - Venturebeat.com
TVS targets to sell two million units in 2010-11 - New Kerala

AUTO RACING PACKAGE: Auto Racing Glance - The Ledger

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 07:18 AM PST

Schedule: Saturday, practice, qualifying (Versus, 2-3 p.m.); Sunday, race (Versus, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.).

Track: Streets of Sao Paulo (street course, 2.6 miles).

Race distance: 195 miles, 75 laps.

Last year: Inaugural event.

Fast facts: Danica Patrick is back in her No. 7 Andretti Autosport ride after racing in three NASCAR Nationwide races and an ARCA event. ... Brazilian drivers Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Vitor Meira, Mario Romancini, Raphael Matos, Bia Figueiredo and Ana Beatriz are set to compete in the season-opening race, the country's first Indy-style event since the CART ran in Rio de Janeiro from 1996-2000. ... The circuit features a nearly mile-long straightaway and runs through the Anhembi Sambadrome, a stadium-like venue that is the site of Carnival parades. ... Dario Franchitti is the defending series champion. He won five times last year. ... Sao Paulo also will host the Formula One finale in November.

Next race: Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, March 28, Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.

On the Net: http://www.indycar.com

---

FORMULA ONE Bahrain Grand Prix

Site: Sakhir, Bahrain.

Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 6-7:30 a.m.); Saturday, practice and qualifying (Speed, 6-7:30 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed, 7:30-10 a.m., 1:30-4 p.m.).

Track: Bahrain International (road course, 3.914 miles).

Race distance: 191.634 miles, 49 laps.

Last year: Jenson Button raced to his third victory in the first four events of the season, beating Sebastian Vettel by 7.1 seconds. Button went on to win six of the first seven races and took the season title for Brawn GP.

Fast facts: Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher is returning to racing after a three-year retirement. The 41-year-old German star, the winner of a record 91 races, is driving for Ross Brawn-led Mercedes GP. Schumacher won the first F1 race at the track in 2004. ... Lotus is returning to F1 after a 16-year absence, backed by the Malaysian government and a consortium of businessmen. Lotus won 79 races and seven constructors' titles between 1958 and 1994. Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen will race for the team. ... Button is driving for McLaren.

Next race: Australian Grand Grix, March 28, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.

On the Net: http://www.formula1.com

---

NHRA FULL THROTTLE NHRA Gatornationals

Site: Gainesville, Fla.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, Sunday, midnight-3 a.m.; Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 6-9 p.m.).

Track: Gainesville Raceway.

Last year: Bob Tasca raced to his first career Funny Car victory. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won.

Last event: Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel) and Jack Beckman (Funny Car) won the rain-delayed NHRA Arizona Nationals on Feb. 22, an event marred by the death of a fan struck by a tire off Antron Brown's crashing Top Fuel car.

Fast facts: Kurt Busch, coming off a NASCAR Sprint Cup victory Sunday at Atlanta, is making his NHRA debut in the Super Gas class. He's driving his rebuilt '70 Dodge Challenger, powered by a stroked 6.1-liter Hemi that produces 1,167 horsepower. ... Tire Kingdom is the title sponsor.

Next event: NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, March 25-28, zMAX Dragway, Concord, N.C.

On the Net: http://www.nhra.com

---

NASCAR SPRINT CUP

Last week: Kurt Busch won at Atlanta Motor Speedway, surviving two overtime restarts and 16 extra laps in the race marred by Carl Edwards' retaliatory late-race bump that flipped Brad Keselowski's car.

Next race: Food City 500, March 21, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.

On the Net: http://www.nascar.com

---

NATIONWIDE

Next race: Scotts Turf Builder 300, March 20, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.

Last race: Kevin Harvick won at Las Vegas on Feb. 27, overcoming a pair of horrendous pit stops for his 35th Nationwide victory.

On the Net: http://www.nascar.com

---

CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS

Last week: Kevin Harvick won at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Sprint Cup driver has won three straight starts in the series and five of his last nine.

Next race: Kroger 250, March 27, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va.

On the Net: http://www.nascar.com

---

OTHER RACES

WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car, Texas Two Step, Friday, Lonestar Speedway, Kilgore, Texas, and Saturday, Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas. On the Net: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com

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Home Equity Impacts Retirement Planning More Than Stock Market Crash - Insurance News Net

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 12:52 AM PST

Americans' Reluctance to Use Home Equity to Help Fund RetirementIncreases Number 'At Risk' by 10 Percentage Points

COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- More than 60 percent of households are 'at risk' of being financially unprepared for retirement, according to new research from the Center for Retirement Research (CRR) at Boston College. The latest analysis of the National Retirement Risk Index (NRRI), released today by the CRR and underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, examines how not taking full advantage of housing equity affects the share of U.S. households 'at risk.' The result is a 10 percentage-point rise in the Index compared to just a seven-point increase from the 2008 stock market crash.

The NRRI is a percentage measurement of how many working Americans are 'at risk' of being unable to maintain their standard of living in retirement. The NRRI uses very conservative assumptions in its baseline scenario. One of those assumptions is that consumers access their home equity through a reverse mortgage and invest the proceeds in an inflation-indexed annuity to help generate retirement income. The new research removes that assumption.

"Even after the bursting of the housing bubble, our research shows that home equity remains a major financial asset and can significantly impact retirement security," said Center Director Alicia H. Munnell. "The impact of home equity on the percent of households 'at risk' is greater than that of the recent stock market crash. How baby boomers and future generations decide to use their home equity could determine how well many fare in retirement."

The full report is available at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

Creating Retirement Income

"Given the loss of pension plans and the uncertainty of Social Security, retirees are undoubtedly going to shoulder more responsibility for funding their retirement," said Brad Davis, vice president of retirement income solutions for Nationwide Financial Services. "If the last 18 months have taught us anything, it's that consumers need to resist becoming overly dependent on any one asset, especially when taking into account the unpredictable nature of the stock and real estate markets."

Davis added, "To face today's retirement challenges, consumers must be open to utilizing all of their assets and consider working with a financial professional who is prepared to handle the task of developing a comprehensive retirement income strategy."

Davis noted that financial professionals understand they need to be prepared to help clients transition from asset accumulation to income generation in retirement. According to research from the Financial Planning Association, more than 89 percent of financial professionals say they are likely to obtain more training on ways to generate retirement income.¹

"We encourage financial professionals to seek out the education and support they need to deal with this very critical phase of an investor's life by partnering with financial institutions that have the strategies and resources to help them manage the challenges retirees will face in the upcoming decades," said Davis.

To help financial professionals with income planning, Nationwide created RetireSense^®. RetireSense is an innovative investment and draw-down strategy that helps investment professionals address their clients' individual needs. It provides them with a clear road map for retirement income planning that helps identify which investments to consider harvesting for income, and when to do so.

About the National Retirement Risk Index

The NRRI was developed by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College and underwritten by a grant from Nationwide.

The Index projects how much income households are expected to have in retirement relative to their pre-retirement income. It then compares this 'replacement rate' to a target rate that would allow a household to maintain its pre-retirement standard of living. Households that fall more than 10 percent short of the target are considered 'at risk.'

The Index produces conservative estimates by assuming that people work to age 65, annuitize all of their financial assets, and receive income from reverse mortgages on their homes. More realistic assumptions regarding earlier retirement and the reluctance of people to annuitize their assets or tap housing equity – as illustrated in the new research – would put the percentage of workers 'at risk' higher.

About Nationwide

Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by A.M. Best. The company provides a full range of personalized insurance and financial services, including auto insurance, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, life insurance, farm, commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions, long-term savings plans and health and productivity services. For more information, visit nationwide.com.

Brad Davis is a registered representative of Nationwide Investment Services Corporation, member FINRA. In MI only: Nationwide Investment Svcs. Corporation.

Nationwide, the Nationwide Framemark, RetireSense and On Your Side are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

Please remember, no product, rider, service or strategy is suitable for all clients.It is your responsibility as a registered representative of a broker/dealer to carefully consider the client's needs, objectives, risk tolerance and overall suitability before recommending any product, rider, service, or implementing any strategy.

¹2009 Financial Advisers' Attitudes and Perceptions About the Retirement Income Distribution Market Survey

Nationwide
Jeff Whetzel, 614-249-6354
whetzej@nationwide.com
or
Erica Lewis, 704-896-5652
lewise6@nationwide.com

Source: Nationwide

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Activision Blizzard shows off footage from True Crime reboot - Venturebeat.com

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 01:13 AM PST

Re-entering the highly competitive "sandbox" crime genre made famous by Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series, Activision Blizzard's Activision Publishing division today showed live gameplay footage of its reboot entrée, True Crime, at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Many thought the series dead after a disappointing critical and fiscal second effort in 2006 with the second in the series, True Crime: New York. But Activision tapped United Front Games (maker of ModNation Racers). With former employees from Radical Games, EA's Need for Speed franchise, and Rockstar Games, UFG has been in development with its own unique software tools to generate the third-person perspective, Hong Kong-based game.

Activision is trying to differentiate its title from the towering success of Grand Theft Auto IV and, to a lesser extent, THQ's well-received Saints Row, by focusing on deep combat moves and an undercover-cop story generated by extensive research done with the Hong Kong police department and active members from the Triad crime organization.

"We're treating the franchise as if it were a brand new [intellectual property]," said Lead Producer Jeff O'Connell. "True Crime is being developed by a completely new team using new tech, and a brand new storyline that's serious, not campy."

In the early (pre-alpha testing) version shown at the W Hotel, Activision demoed a fully working game offering with smooth transitions between exploration, open-world car chases, and hand-to-hand combat. Visually, the game reflects a relatively modern-looking Hong Kong, packed with dense skyscrapers, night-time marketplaces, and bustling streets. Gamers will play detective Wei Shen, an undercover cop who reports to a hot-headed, foul-mouthed crime boss "Winston" of the Triads whose mother and family have been threatened by a rival club. At this point in development, character facial movement and animations aren't fully complete, and they looked slightly out of sync. But the game is due in fall of this year, meaning UFG has several months to develop and hone it. Character movement, particularly in combat interaction, was more impressive.

The first and only mission shown is to confront a rival gang at their manufacturing plant and remove everyone except Siu Wah, a key member of the gang. You'll have to locate, capture, and usher him out of the building as enemies swarm in upon learning of your attack. One of the more impressive scenes takes place after you successfully leave the building. On a stolen cop motorcycle you'll chase Wah in a stolen cop car, leap from the bike onto the car's roof, climb into the car, and force Wah to surrender.

"We spent several weeks earning the trust of one real-life Triad members," said O'Connell. "Once we were able to gain their trust, they showed us a lot. They drove us around the city, showed us their street fighting techniques, and helped us piece together how their organization works."

Players will encounter a combat system that looks on the surface to resemble Midway's John Woo-influenced Strangehold game, with an impressive array of environmental combat opportunities. Taking the combat a little further than competitive titles, UFG has clearly studied Jackie Chan films too. Live electrical boxes, open garbage cans, refrigerator doors — used to slam enemies in the face — stair banisters and tables are used for sliding and creating combination attacks as an advantage to confront un-even odds. You'll wield a number of weapons from hand guns to Uzis, plus bloodier weapons, such as meat cleavers.

"Unlike the way the West perceives Hong Kong, the city isn't a wild, crime-filled place," O'Connell said. "There are very strict gun laws enforced there. You can get arrested for holding a single bullet. So we had to sex up the city. And that's why the meat cleaver and chopping knives play a heavy role in combat. 'Chopping' is a real technique employed to show examples of those who cross the local Triads."

True Crime provides a linear story with many options to take on "jobs" and missions that build up characters' "face." Face is equivalent to "respect," a system in the game that enables players to use to open additional side missions. Side missions feature the ability to date girls (with the possibility of "tasteful" romantic scenes), upgrade your look with accessories such as new hair styles, clothes, watches, better cars, and the ability to get into otherwise closed night clubs.

"We haven't announced the voice talent we are working with, but you will be able to date girls who are played by popular actresses who we believe players will want to 'date' in the game," said O'Connell.

With an intense hand-to-hand combat system, arcade-style driving, and an serious, non-campy storyline ("there will no zombies, dragons, or flaming skulls" O'Connell said), Activision hopes to re-energize the True Crime brand in the tough-to-crack, GTA-dominated genre.

Next Story: What's next for Google's Apps Marketplace — contextual gadgets and more
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Companies: activision

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TVS targets to sell two million units in 2010-11 - New Kerala

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 01:21 AM PST

Bangalore, Mar 10 : TVS Motor Company targets to sell two million two-wheelers in 2010-11, Company Vice-President (Sales and Marketing) R Dilip said today.

Talking to newspersons here, he said in the current fourth quarter the company was expected to achieve a 30 per cent growth on Year-on-Year basis.

Announcing the launch of TVS Jive, he said with the launch of the country's first auto-clutch motorcycle the market share of the company in the two-wheeler segment was expected to increase by 10 per cent from the present 20 per cent. About 20,000 units were sold per month.

He said the new TVS Jive, targetted at salaried and business class, is propelled by a 110 cc engine which features innovative T-matic technology, patent of which was awaited, with rotary gear technology coupled with an automatic clutch.

He said the unique feature of TVS Jive being its anti-stall mechanism which makes smooth riding possible at low speeds even in high gears, without the engine shutting off.

TVS Jive priced at Rs 41,735 ex-showroom in Bangalore was available in blue, black and red colours.

--UNI

Your Yearly Horoscope for 2010:

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plus 3, BPI Family Bank sees robust auto loan growth in 2010 - BusinessWorld Online

2010-03-09T09:11:00.001-08:00

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Posted: 09 Mar 2010 07:48 AM PST

Finance

Posted on 08:44 PM, March 09, 2010

BPI FAMILY Savings Bank, the thrift lending arm of listed Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), expects its auto loans to grow by double digits this year as consumer confidence recovers along with the economy.

Felipe P. Carlos, BPI Family vice-president and head of retail auto loans, told a briefing yesterday: "Last year, everybody was hesitant [to spend] and held off purchases because they were worried about the recession... [But that's not the case now]. Even industry figures will show that."

The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc.

reported yesterday that car sales in the first two months of the year surged by 36.6% to 24,366 units.

David G. Sarmiento, Jr., BPI Family senior vice-president for auto and motorcycle loans, said the bank's auto loans grew by about 27% in the first two months of the year -- enough to purchase about 3,000 vehicles -- but he declined to disclose the actual loan amount.

Despite the higher auto loan growth numbers in the early part of the year, BPI Family executives said they expect the bank's 2010 auto loan portfolio, which reached almost P20 billion last year, to increase by 10%-12% since it was still too early to establish a trend.

Mr. Sarmiento said the introduction of new car models is expected to spur loan growth, with vehicle owners seeking to replace old car models.

Also yesterday, BPI Family launched a promo extending free comprehensive insurance that also covers "acts of God" incidents to cars purchased using a BPI loan. The cars must be purchased by March 31 and for delivery up to April 15.

Mr. Sarmiento said the bank expects a good reception to the promo, pointing out that auto loan applications surged when the program was first introduced in August 2008.

Meanwhile, BPI/MS Insurance Corp., a joint venture between BPI and Japan's largest non-life insurance firm Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., said it had paid about P500 million in claims from damage caused by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

Perfecto M. Domingo, head of underwriting and claims group at BPI/MS, added the company expects its 2010 revenues from premium payments to grow by 10% from P2.7 billion last year. "[The main growth driver] are motor and fire insurance and also bancassurance business coming from BPI," he said. -- Don Gil K. Carreon

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AARP Selects Restaurant.com as a Preferred Provider to Make Delicious ... - Earthtimes

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 07:55 AM PST

Relationship Gives AARP Members a New Discount on Gift Certificates for More than 14,000 Restaurants Nationwide

WASHINGTON, March 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AARP and Restaurant.com today announced a new relationship that will make an exclusive discount available to AARP members on the 25,000 daily gift certificate options offered on Restaurant.com. The new AARP Restaurant Discount Center powered by Restaurant.com is available by visiting (www.aarp.org/restaurant). The site allows AARP members to search a database of more than 14,000 participating restaurants at which they can receive savings and enjoy memorable meals.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070209/NYF043LOGO)

"Our members lead active and engaging lives: they're traveling, visiting their kids and grandkids and spending time with friends," said Howard Byck, senior vice president of lifestyle products and services for AARP Services, Inc., the wholly-owned subsidiary of AARP. "Particularly in this economy, AARP is committed to helping them enjoy more for less. Launching the Restaurant Discount Center powered by Restaurant.com is a natural fit that gives AARP members access to discounts at thousands of restaurants across the country."

Since 1999, Restaurant.com has connected restaurants and diners nationwide. Through this new relationship, AARP members can access discounts for Restaurant.com gift certificates by visiting the Restaurant Discount Center and, when prompted, entering their AARP member information. Savings apply to the Restaurant.com Gift Center and to all the gift certificate denominations available on the site, which include $10, $25, $50, $75 and $100.

"Restaurant.com is proud to be an AARP preferred discount provider. AARP is a reputable organization that provides so much value to an important population," said Cary Chessick, president and CEO of Restaurant.com. "Like AARP, Restaurant.com believes in quality products and services and we look forward to making a best-in-class experience available to AARP members as they take advantage of dining savings through this new relationship."

To explore all the restaurant choices in any local or national area, AARP members can simply select a location and then choose to refine their restaurant search by criteria such as cuisine, price and atmosphere. Once a specific restaurant is selected, restaurant Web pages show menus, photos, gift certificate denominations and available quantities. Members can then purchase the denomination and quantity of their choice, print the certificate instantly for immediate use and present the certificate to their server to have the amount deducted from the final bill.

For more information on the Restaurant Discount Center, AARP members can visit www.aarp.org/restaurant or call 1-877-657-4710.

About AARP

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 35.7 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

ABOUT AARP SERVICES INC.

AARP Services Inc., founded in 1999, is a wholly-owned taxable subsidiary of AARP. AARP Services manages the provider relationships for and performs quality control oversight of the wide range of products and services that carry the AARP name and are made available by independent providers as benefits to AARP's almost 40 million members. The provider offers currently span health products, travel and leisure products, and life event services. Specific products include Medicare supplemental insurance; member discounts on rental cars, cruises, vacation packages and lodging; special offers on technology and gifts; pharmacy services; legal services; and long-term care insurance. AARP Services also engages in new product development activities for AARP and provides certain consulting services to outside companies. In 2005, AARP Services founded AARP Financial Inc., a wholly-owned taxable subsidiary that manages the provider relationships for and performs quality control oversight for the financial products that carry the AARP name, including credit cards, auto and home, mobile home and motorcycle insurance, and life insurance and annuities. AARP Financial also provides access to proprietary investment products and services, including mutual funds and financial guidance, designed to meet the needs of investors at any life stage.

About Restaurant.com

Restaurant.com is the trusted and valued source connecting restaurants and diners nationwide. The company offers savings at more than 14,000 restaurants nationwide with more than 25,000 daily gift certificate options. Restaurant.com brings people together to relax, converse and enjoy well-prepared and -served meals at affordable prices. To date, Restaurant.com customers have saved more than $100 million through the gift certificate program. Restaurant.com has operated since 1999 and is based in Arlington Heights, Ill.

SOURCE AARP

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Honda to build second motorcycle plant in India - YAHOO!

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 12:39 AM PST

James buzzed up: Ohio St.: Employee kills co-worker, wounds another (AP)

40 seconds ago 2010-03-09T08:44:24-08:00

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Honda India bike unit plans $103 mil second plant - Reuters India

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 12:46 AM PST

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Japan's Honda will invest 4.7 billion rupees ($103 million) to build a second production plant in India, with an annual capacity of 600,000 units, to meet rising demand in the world's second-largest motorcycle market.

Motorcycle sales in India rose 19 percent in 2009 to nearly 9 million units, behind China's 15 million-plus units.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt Ltd said in a statement the new plant, to be located in the north-western Rajasthan state, would become operational from the second half of 2011.

Honda's Indian unit said it would also expand capacity at its existing plant in Haryana state to 1.55 million units by end-March from 1.25 million units and further raise it to 1.6 million units next year.

The company, which produces Unicorn, Shine, CBF Stunner motorcycles and scooters including Activa and Aviator, said its annual production capacity would rise to 2.2 million units, once the second plant becomes operational.

Honda, which had so far been producing bikes with engine capacity of more than 125cc, last month made its entry into the 100-110cc segment with the launch of CB Twister.

Honda Motorcycle is not the only one expanding in India.

Hero Honda Motors, the country's largest bike maker in which Honda has a 26-percent stake, has also said that it was looking at setting up a new plant and expanding capacity from its current 5 million units a year.

Earlier this month, smaller rival Bajaj Auto said it was expanding its motorcycle capacity to 300,000 units per month by April 2010, up from its current just over 200,000 units month. Continued...

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plus 3, Research and Markets: the US Motorcycle Manufacturing Industry ... - Yahoo Finance

2010-03-08T09:12:00.001-08:00

plus 3, Research and Markets: the US Motorcycle Manufacturing Industry ... - Yahoo Finance

Research and Markets: the US Motorcycle Manufacturing Industry ... - Yahoo Finance
Datebook business calendar (March 8) - Corvallis Gazette-Times
India's car sales up 33 per cent in February - Hindustan Times
Hero Honda May Add Fourth Plant on India Rural Sales (Update2) - BusinessWeek

Research and Markets: the US Motorcycle Manufacturing Industry ... - Yahoo Finance

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 06:31 AM PST

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6fe934/motorcycle_manufac) has announced the addition of the "Motorcycle Manufacturing" report to their offering.

First Research is the leading industry intelligence company that helps sales teams perform faster and smarter, open doors, and close more deals. First Research performs the "heavy lifting" by synthesizing hundreds of sources into an easy to digest format that a sales person can consume very quickly to better understand a prospect's business issues.

Executive Summary

Brief Excerpt from Industry Overview Chapter:

The US motorcycle manufacturing industry includes about 60 companies with combined annual revenue of about $6 billion. The industry, which is highly concentrated, is dominated by Harley-Davidson . Other industry participants include foreign-based companies with final assembly operations in the US, parts and accessories manufacturers, and custom builders who make built-to-order products for motorcycle enthusiasts.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Personal income and interest rates drive demand. Motorcycles are considered discretionary items in the US since few are used as a primary means of transportation. About one fourth of motorcycle purchases are financed. The profitability of individual companies depends on volume and sales of high-margin accessories and add-ons. Small manufacturers compete by offering highly customized products. Annual sales per employee averages about $400,000.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Major products include touring and cruiser motorcycles designed for comfort and long distance rides (67 percent of industry revenue); off-road cycles designed for dirt and mountain terrain (25 percent); dual sport designed for both road and off-road usage (3 percent); and scooters (5 percent). Motorcycle engines are measured in cubic centimeters (cc) and range from 50cc to 2300cc. Heavyweight bikes have engines with 650cc or greater.

Motorcycles are typically produced on assembly lines, similar to how the auto industry makes cars. Parts are received from outside sources (either third-party companies or other corporate-owned plants), usually on a just-in-time basis.

Key Topics Covered:

Industry Overview
Quarterly Industry Update
Business Challenges
Trends AND Opportunities
Call Preparation Questions
Financial Information
Industry Forecast
Website and Media Links
Glossary of Acronyms

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6fe934/motorcycle_manufac

Source: First Research

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Datebook business calendar (March 8) - Corvallis Gazette-Times

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 07:49 AM PST

Business calendar published Monday, March 8, 2010:

Today: A property-casualty pre-licensing class for insurance professionals will be offered through the Linn-Benton Community College Small Business Development Center and PacWest Insurance School. Classes will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Friday on the second floor of the Calapooia Center, LBCC, 6500 Pacific Blvd. S.W., Albany. This 40-hour class is a State of Oregon required class that allows the licensee to take the state examination to sell auto, home, boat, motorcycle, RV and commercial lines of insurance. For more information or to register, contact the PacWest Insurance School at 541-971-9566.

Tuesday: Corvallis Chamber of Commerce Greeters, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., hosted by Downtown Dental, 142 S.W. Second St.

Tuesday: Employer's Guide to Civil Rights Laws and Workplace Harassment, educational seminar, 8:30 a.m. to noon, Central Willamette Community Credit Union headquarters, Albany. Presenter: Jennifer Germundson, the Bureau of Labor and Industries manager of technical assistance for employers. To avoid claims of workplace harassment and discrimination, managers and supervisors need to understand the protections under state and federal civil rights law. Learn about protected classes, recognizing unlawful behavior, conducting an investigation, communicating policies and expectations to employers, and BOLI enforcement policies. Cost: $59 per person, or $49 per Albany, Corvallis or Lebanon Chamber of Commerce members. To register, contact Greg Ivers, 541-967-2171, Ext. 264, or greg.e.ivers@state.or.us.

Tuesday: Ribbon cutting, 9:45 to 10:15 a.m., Springhill Country Club, 155 Country Club Lane, Albany.

Thursday: Downtown After Hours, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Mod Pod, 115 N.W. Second St. The Downtown Corvallis Association's monthly networking social provides an opportunity to get acquainted with DCA members in a relaxed atmosphere. Those attending are asked to bring an item for a prize drawing.

Friday: "Become a Legacy Family Business," 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., Allison Inn & Spa, 2525 Allison Lane, Newberg. Presented by the Austin Family Business Program, College of Business at Oregon State University. Author/expert Dr. Lee Hausner, senior managing director of First Foundation Advisors and internationally recognized business consultant and family wealth adviser, will give the keynote address. Cost: $35. Register at www.familybusinessonline.org. For more information, call 541-737-3326 or 800-859-7609.

Saturday: A noncredit traffic control flagger certification course will take place from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Fireside Room, Calapooia Center, Linn-Benton Community College, 6500 Pacific Blvd. S.W. in Albany. After meeting all requirements, students can be certified to flag traffic in Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington. Job-finding information will be provided in class. Cost: $80, includes all materials, certification test and card. Minimum qualifications: at least 18 years of age and possess a valid driver's license. For more information or to register, call the LBCC Business, Healthcare and Workforce Division at 541-917-4923.

April 12 and 13: Oregon Employer Council Annual State Conference for Business, the Nines Hotel, Portland. The conference is open to all business people, and will cover topics of importance to business owners, managers, supervisors and human resource professionals. Continuing education credits are offered. Early registration fee: $279, includes education sessions and handouts, most meals, and networking opportunities. After March 12, fee is $329. One-day fees available. For more information and to register, see www.OEC.org, or call Marney Roddick, 503-947-1305.

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India's car sales up 33 per cent in February - Hindustan Times

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 06:31 AM PST

Anticipation of a price hike after the budget pushed car sales in India in February this year.

A total of 153,845 vehicles were sold as their sales went up by 33 percent in February, according to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Monday. Car manufacturers sold 115,505 units in the year-ago period.

Sale of commercial vehicles, a key indicator of economic activity, rose a whopping 87 percent during the month at 58,024 units.

Motorcycle sales, which constitute bulk of the two-wheeler segment, also were up by 30.7 percent at 642,419 units compared to 491,451 units in the corresponding month last year.

Auto stocks reacted positively to the news and were among the major gainers on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

During the April-February period, sales of passenger vehicles increased 26.13 percent and that of commercial vehicles rose 35.2 percent.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had announced a two percent hike in excise tax on prices of large cars, and sports and multi-utility vehicles in the general budget presented on february 26.

The government had offered excise duty relief to car makers as a stimulus in 2008 when auto sales dropped following a slowdown in the economy after recession hit the world.

The excise duty was slashed on two-wheelers (from 10 percent to 8 percent), small cars (from 12 percent to 8 percent) and big cars (from 24 percent to 20 percent).

Major car manufacturers have raised prices of cars by up to Rs.25,000 reacting to the increase in central excise duty, which is now at 10 percent.

Also, prospective buyers may be in for another round of price hike as the country is set to adopt new emission norms compliant auto fuel, Euro IV, by April 1 in 13 metro cities.

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Hero Honda May Add Fourth Plant on India Rural Sales (Update2) - BusinessWeek

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 02:27 AM PST

March 08, 2010, 5:33 AM EST

(Adds shares rose to record in the sixth paragraph.)

By Subramaniam Sharma

March 8 (Bloomberg) -- Hero Honda Motors Ltd., maker of half the motorcycles sold in India, may build a fourth factory as it targets rural markets and possible exports to Africa.

The company will decide on the new factory within six months, Managing Director Pawan Kant Munjal, 55, said in an interview in New Delhi. It hopes to reach an agreement this year with partner Honda Motor Co. on starting African sales, he said.

To help win sales among India's more than 740 million rural residents, Hero Honda has set up health-care initiatives and services to guide people in getting driving licenses. Coupled with motorcycle tax cuts and economic growth, the programs helped Hero Honda boost sales 24 percent in the past 11 months.

"The market will continue to grow and it makes sense to invest money," said Juergen Maier, who helps manage 860 million euros ($1.1 billion) of assets, including Hero Honda shares, at Raiffeisen Capital Management in Vienna. Expanding in rural areas now "is a huge advantage" over overseas companies such as Yamaha Motor Co., he said.

Bajaj Auto Ltd., India's second-biggest motorcycle maker, has also boosted its focus on rural areas as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh boost spending on new roads and infrastructure for villages as part of his 'Build India' campaign.

Hero Honda rose 2.3 percent to a record close of 1,913.9 rupees in Mumbai today. The shares have gained 11 percent this year after more than doubling last year.

Rural Focus

Hero Honda is considering a plant that can make 2,000 units daily and will fund the plan using its own cash, Munjal said during the March 4 interview. The company, 26 percent-owned by Tokyo-based Honda, can now make 5 million motorcycles and scooters a year. Hero Group, founded by Munjal's father and uncles, holds a 29 percent stake in the motorcycle-maker.

Hero Honda expects to sell 50 percent of its motorcycles in villages in the next three to five years, from about 40 percent now, Munjal said. The company three years ago started a marketing initiative called 'Har Gaon, Har Angan,' or 'Every Village, Every Courtyard', to increase sales in villages with a population of more than 5,000 people.

"The government has a clear cut long-term focus because a large portion of the population lives out there," said Munjal. "A lot of activity is going on in rural areas. I expect a higher percentage of growth coming from rural areas."

The company is also diversifying by aiming to boost exports, which now account for 2.2 percent of annual sales. By contrast, Bajaj Auto sells 33 percent of two-wheelers overseas. The bulk of Hero Honda's exports are to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Columbia. Bajaj sell motorcycles in countries including Nigeria, Angola, Uganda and Kenya.

'Wider Canvas'

Hero Honda is trying to convince Honda to allow it to enter more export markets, Munjal said.

"We are getting close to being able to work out a deal where we can start going into Africa," said Munjal. "We want to establish ourselves in the international market so we have a wider canvas."

Simultaneously, Hero Honda is expanding its rural reach in India by adding about 500 more dealerships, service centers and other outlets across the country. The company currently has more than 4,000 facilities nationwide, including about 700 dealers.

Close to 70 percent of India's population of more than 1.1 billion live in villages and they contribute about 45 percent of the economy, according to a 2008 study by National Council of Applied Economic Research.

About 10 percent of the people living in villages in India own a motorcycle, compared with the national average of 18 percent, local brokerage Batlivala & Karani Securities Ltd. said in a report last month.

--With assistance from Manish Modi in New Delhi. Editors: Anand Krishnamoorthy, Ian Rowley

To contact the reporter on the story: Subramaniam Sharma in New Delhi at ssharma@bloomberg.net;

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Neil Denslow at ndenslow@bloomberg.net

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plus 3, Pruett Holds Off Donohue To Score Second Season Victory - The Auto Chanel

2010-03-07T09:08:00.001-08:00

plus 3, Pruett Holds Off Donohue To Score Second Season Victory - The Auto Chanel

Pruett Holds Off Donohue To Score Second Season Victory - The Auto Chanel
Panasonic AG-HVX-200 P2 Camcorder Review - Digital Journalist
New cars tempt shoppers at Rochester auto show - Democrat and Chronicle
Obituary published March 7 - Sun Chronicle

Pruett Holds Off Donohue To Score Second Season Victory - The Auto Chanel

Posted: 07 Mar 2010 08:12 AM PST

HOMESTEAD, March 7, 2010: Scott Pruett held off a late charge by David Donohue to win Saturday's Grand Prix of Miami, Round 2 of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

Pruett and Memo Rojas scored their second victory in three years at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW Riley, holding off the No. 59 Brumos Porsche Riley of Donohue and pole winner Darren Law by .255 seconds.

In GT, Jeff Segal passed SpeedSource teammate Sylvain Tremblay on the race's lone restart with 13 minutes remaining and went on to win in the No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8. It was the third triumph in the last six races for Segal and Emil Assentato.

"I sure didn't want to see that last caution, but I was happy for the fans," Pruett said after scoring his 23rd Rolex Series overall victory. "This is tough competition. You never know what's going to happen until the checkered flag falls. It was pretty exciting in my seat, that's for sure."

Donohue was able to pull up to the back of Pruett several times in the closing laps, but was unable to get by. Pruett managed to weave through GT traffic in the infield on the final lap, and maintained the lead through the superspeedway banking.

Alex Gurney finished third in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet Riley started by Jon Fogarty. Burt Frisselle finished fourth in AIM Autosport's No. 61 Pacific Mobile Ford Riley, followed by Ryan Dalziel in the debut of the No. 8 Starworks BMW Riley started by Mike Forest, the leading Daytona Prototype Pro-Am driver in the event.

A turning point came on Lap 81 of the two-hour, 45-minute race. The cockpit of the No. 30 Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda RX-8 exploded into flames, and Jordan Taylor came to a stop in the middle of pit road. The blaze was quickly extinguished and the race remained under green, but Taylor's car was stopped at the center of the pit lane when Law pitted in the race-leading No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley.

"There was a car on fire, there were people on pit lane, and I almost came to a stop," Law explained. "I didn't want to hit anybody. It's unfortunate, because I lost all of the gap I had gained. Up until then, I was feeling really, really good."

Taylor was uninjured in the incident, but the Mazda started by Todd Lamb was eliminated after having a strong run.

"It wasn't as big a fire as it looked," Taylor said. "It ended up being some of the insulation in the exhaust catching fire."

Donohue replaced Law on the ensuing pit stop. Pruett took the lead in the exchange and led the rest of the way.

Pruett and Rojas averaged 107.196 mph, completing 129 laps on the 2.3-mile circuit, and took the points lead by six (67-61) over Ryan Dalziel. The race remained caution-free until Lap 115, for debris in Turns 4 and 8. Law led a race-high 71 laps, followed by Pruett with 48. Other race leaders included Fogarty, who led the opening six laps, and Ryan Hunter-Reay, who led two laps in the No. 95 Level 5 Motorsports BMW Riley.

Rolex 24 At Daytona winners Terry Borcheller and Dalziel each led one lap in different cars. Borcheller was running in contention in the Daytona-winning No. 9 Action Express Racing Porsche Riley. Joao Barbosa, the 2009 Homestead winner seeking his third consecutive Rolex Series victory, went behind the wall early in his shift to replace the heat exchanger.

Tremblay and new regular SpeedSource co-driver Jonathan Bomarito led a GT class leading 44 laps in the Rolex 24 winning No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8.

Tremblay, who led 27 laps, fell back to fourth in the closing laps, but he and Bomarito maintained the points lead by three (63-60) over Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis, who finished second in the No. 57 Stevenson Automotive Group/Vin Solutions Camaro. Finishing third were Leh Keen and James Gue in the No. 41 Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8.

Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand finished a solid fifth in the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW M6. The car ran only three laps in practice prior to the race and did not qualify due to problems with the power steering. Team owner Will Turner installed a power steering unit from a Daytona Prototype prior to the race, and Auberlen and Hand ran in contention throughout the event, with Hand leading four laps.

Paul Edwards started from the GT pole in the Banner Racing No. 07 Mobil 1 Corvette and led the opening 31 laps before turning the car over to motorcycle legend Scott Russell. Edwards returned to the car for the closing shift, finishing sixth - one position ahead of Patrick Dempsey and Joe Foster in the No. 40 Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8.

Ted Ballou and Andy Lally had the highest-finishing Porsche, placing eighth in the No. 66 AXA Porsche GT3.

The next race for the GRAND-AM Rolex Series will be the April 10 Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.

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Panasonic AG-HVX-200 P2 Camcorder Review - Digital Journalist

Posted: 07 Mar 2010 06:03 AM PST

I should begin by pointing out that I'm fairly new to video. My idea of a camera has always been a Leica M6 hanging over my shoulder, and extra rolls of film in my pocket. Now, as a burgeoning documentary maker, I find myself loaded down with bags of lighting, tripods, sound equipment, and cameras. For music videos, I frequently have a whole car full of equipment for multi-camera shoots. That said, I come to the task of evaluating the Panasonic HVX-200 with a particular point of view. I like simple, rugged cameras that produce gorgeous pictures. The HVX-200 is in my comfort zone.

First the ergonomics: The HVX is beefy. It feels bigger than the other cameras I've used but also seems much better balanced. It's got an industrial, almost military feel about it. Before using the HVX, I'd been shooting with a Canon XL-1 and XL-2 so I'll be comparing a bit with the controls and features of these cameras. Users of Panasonic DVX cameras will be much more at home with the HVX. It looks, feels and operates like a chunky DVX-100. Compared to the Canons, the HVX-200 is more handheld and less shoulder-mount. It also feels more compact, like a cube. There are fewer adornments sticking out. I personally like this a lot. The camera fits in a smaller case than the XL-2 and feels more rugged as I'm carrying it around.

My shooting style is mostly manual and the HVX makes this very comfortable. The focus ring is smooth: although I'd prefer a physical stop on it. There's an auto-manual focus button just behind the lens. When set to manual, you can give it a momentary push to zoom-to-infinity. Below this button is a momentary button to force an autofocus. Above the auto-manual switch is a focus-assist button, which opens a zoomed-in window on the viewfinder to obtain a sharper manual focus. I found this effective, although I could focus a bit easier using the EVF rather than the LCD screen.

The fixed-mount lens itself is a Leica Dicomar 13X with a 35mm equivalent range of 32mm to 422mm. Century Optics is shipping a .6 wide-angle adapter and 1.6 tele-adapter with a full-zoom .75 adapter and fisheye adapter to follow. These would give you an effective 35mm range in your bag of 19mm to 675mm. All in all, the lens quality is excellent and the add-ons sufficiently flexible that I don't believe I'll miss having a removable lens. To my eye, the lens shows no objectionable qualities at any aperture. I tried the Century Optics .6 adapter, which snaps on the front of the lens in place of the lens hood, and I found minimal vignetting and an acceptable level of barrel distortion, given the very wide angle of view.

The Iris Control (I'll always think of it as aperture) is a knurled knob on the left side of the camera just behind the lens. It is large enough to be easily accessible. The F-stop is displayed in the viewfinder so you can adjust the iris without ever taking the camera from your eye. This is a consistent characteristic with all controls on this camera. From my still camera use, I have always preferred a camera such as a Leica that has controls that can be differentiated by touch rather than requiring that you actually look at the knobs and buttons. I want to be able to operate the camera manually and make any adjustments quickly and by feel. I find the ergonomics of the HVX-200 very satisfying in this regard. All controls are large, well-placed and well-thought-out. Although this camera has an enormous amount of flexibility in its adjustments, I find that the controls on the outside of the camera are ones that I am always using. There's nothing superfluous and the controls are clustered by function. For example, right over the Iris knob is the ND switch, and just behind the knob is an auto-manual Iris button. When the aperture is set to auto, you can still adjust it manually with the knob, but when the light changes auto will take over and reset the F-stop.

The three-position switch for Neutral Density ND 1/64, 1/8 and off corresponding to 7.5, 3 and 0 stops of light reduction. I find that I use this frequently to reduce depth of field. One of the biggest weaknesses of this camera, as with all 1/3" CCD cameras, is that it's very hard to throw the background out of focus unless you get very far away from your subject. Conversely, 2/3" CCD cameras use longer lenses for an equivalent field of view, and therefore offer more depth of field control. About all you can do with the 1/3" CCD cameras is open the aperture wide, go to a faster shutter or ND, shoot at maximum zoom, and hope for the best.

The zoom ring is large, and in manual mode, is very smooth. With the XL2 I normally zoomed manually for focusing and used power zoom to get a smooth zoom effect while shooting. This is more problematic with the HVX since you need to disengage the power zoom to easily turn the manual zoom ring. Maybe I'm supposed to do this with the XL2 but I've never bothered. Here it's pretty mandatory since it feels like you are forcing the motor if you don't disengage. On the other hand, I've started using a Manfrotto control for most of my shooting. On sticks, I'm using the 522P camera control, which has three zoom speeds as well as progressive and constant zoom. On my Fig Rig, I'm using the 521P controller. Both offer me enough flexibility that I haven't been using manual zoom on this camera. Also, the power zoom seems much quieter than other cameras I've used. I've yet to hear the motor, even in a very quiet scene. The degree of zoom can be displayed in the viewfinder as either Z0-Z99, feet and inches, or meters. I haven't decided which I prefer yet, but it's nice to have the flexibility.

One nice feature of the viewfinder is that the 16x9 image is displayed inside a 4:3 frame. So data like aperture, zoom, shutter speed, etc. is displayed mostly above and below the image. This makes it much easier to leave this data showing and still see enough of your scene to shoot.

At the bottom of the camera there are three buttons labeled USER1, USER2 and USER3. These can be used as shortcuts for settings, such as fade in and fade out. Frankly, I don't find these buttons very useful. I would much rather see them be able to do functions like remember a zoom position, or remember a focus setting.

Behind the flip-out 3.5" viewfinder, there are more controls including shutter speed select, SMPTE color bar generator, Time Code settings, Image Stabilizer on/off, Zebra mode, and audio input selections.

Once again, these controls can be operated by feel without ever taking the camera away from your eye. The shutter speed is displayed in the viewfinder, along with F-stop and focus distance. The time code can be set to either free run or to advance only while recording. Free run is particularly useful in a two-camera shoot such as a music video, where you zero the TC in both cameras when you start, leave one camera running to record the audio and a full event long shot, and then use the second camera to start/stop on close-ups. The consistent time code between the two cameras will greatly assist in the editing. There is also a provision to synchronize the time code of multiple cameras over the Firewire connection.

The camera has the familiar image controls found in the current generation of high-end consumer and professional cameras. These include Chroma Level and Phase for subtle color palette adjustment, Detail Level for crisper or softer edges, Detail Coring for noise control, Color Temp for coarse color correction, Master Pedestal for controlling the range of blacks, Gamma for controlling the dynamic range curve, and Matrix for either subtly brightening colors or fine tuning the color curve for fluorescent lights, and Knee to control what happens to blown out whites. There's also a Skin Detail control, been referred to sometimes as "Barbara Walters Mode," which is effective at softening skin wrinkles. These settings are associated with one of six named Scene settings. These settings can be saved to an SD card. I'm already building up a little kit of SD cards with settings to match different shooting situations.

White balancing is a simple one-button push of the AWB button on the front of the camera. Be sure to carry a white card and you'll get great color. You can also save two white balance settings (A or B). There is also an Auto Tracking White feature to gradually change the white balance to changing conditions. I'm not a big fan of this feature but I can see the value. If you didn't bring your white card, there are two fixed settings for 3200K halogen light or 5600K outdoor light. Panasonic recommends that you periodically adjust the black balance. You do this while not recording by setting the white balance and then holding the AWB button longer to reset the black balance.

In addition to the image settings, the Scene settings also include setting the camera to Video Mode or Film Camera mode. When this is set to Film Cam and the Recording Format is set to one of the 720-line progressive settings (720P), then the Frame Rate can be set to a range of 12 through 60. For example, if you are shooting in 720/24p and the Frame Rate is set to 60, it's called "overcrank" and, when played back, your video is played in slow motion. If set to a low setting, such as 12, you will get an "undercranked" shot which plays back twice as fast as reality.

This feature is a hoot. Before I used it, I thought of variable frame rate as yet another in-camera gimmick like fades and wipes. However, I'm now a convert. Beyond the obvious super-smooth slow motion action shots, I found that a bit of slo-mo is very useful for getting nice steady handheld scenic shots. And a bit of undercrank makes for very dramatic action shots of, for example, skiers or motorcycle jumps or car chases. I tried some slow motion (overcranked) shots of the surf and snow during a recent blizzard. The interesting thing about these is that you don't notice during playback that they are not recorded at normal speed. Just seems like the waves are more dramatic and the snowflakes are more visible. I never realized how powerful changing the speed of non-people shots can be when done subtly. The terms, incidentally come from the days of manual film cameras, if you crank the film fast and get more frames per second then you have slow motion when it's played normally. The opposite happens when you undercrank.

I expected to have problems with a stroboscopic effect on pans, as I've seen when shooting at 24 on the XL2. Either I've been lucky so far or the Panasonic is just a lot better at 24 fps but my fast pans with this camera have been very pleasantly smooth.

Unlike some other HDTV cameras, which are optimized for 1080 interlaced video compressed to HDV recording format, the HVX-200 is optimized for 720-line progressive scan video recorded to DVCPRO HD. A major difference with the HVX-200 is that the output is recorded with far less compression than with the various HDV cameras. The HVX records at 100 mbits/second as opposed to 25 mbits/second for HDV. For a recording with little motion, the two approaches (HDV versus DVCPRO HD) will both give beautiful pictures. The advantage of Panasonic's approach lies with the ability to capture far more action in the shots. This difference can be graphically illustrated by showing a rapid pan shot with both cameras. Very often with HDV you'll see some breakup or pixelation in the image while the Panasonic video will be rock solid. This is the "satellite TV" effect, in that it's much like watching a football game on satellite TV in a snowstorm. Another advantage of the HVX recording method is that it records 4-2-2 color rather than 4-2-0 color sampling as HDV does. The practical result of this is that there is much more color information available for better color correction in post. Yet another advantage of DVCPRO HD is that there is no inter-frame (or temporal) compression. So editing is far less work for your computer. With HDV, your computer has to uncompress each compressed frame sequence in order to regenerate the frames for editing.

According to Panasonic, the HVX operates natively in 1080p mode, meaning that it is capturing 1080 horizontal lines sequentially (not interlaced). However, it does not record 1080p. The choices of recording formats with this camera are extensive. It supports nine High Definition modes (1080 or 720 lines) and twelve Standard Def modes (480 lines). Recording takes place in DVCPRO HD at 100 mbits/second, DVCPRO 50 (50mbits), DVCPRO 25, and DV. Both 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios are supported. I believe that this has more flexibility than any other camcorder regardless of price. I also believe that the horizontal resolution is as good or better than any other 1/3" CCD camcorder and most 2/3" camcorder. The only major limitations of this camcorder versus a $65,000 Varicam appear to be low-light performance, depth-of-field, and ability to change the frame rate while recording.

The HVX-200 records on P2 memory cards at its maximum resolution, streams over Firewire at 720 lines or below, or records normal miniDV tapes. The P2 cards are PCMCIA form factor cards which can be directly inserted into a laptop for accessing like a hard drive. The cards come in 8GB or 4GB size currently, although a 16GB card is rumored and Panasonic has estimates that 128GB cards will be available within the next couple years. With the 720/24PN setting, an 8GB card will hold 21 minutes of recording. The camera holds two cards and the cards can be hot-swapped without stopping recording. So with enough cards, or with a laptop or Panasonic's P2 Store, you can record indefinitely.

There's been a lot of discussion about the pros and cons of P2 cards versus tape. At 1080/60i your recording time without swapping cards is short, 16 minutes with two 8GB cards. For event photography this would appear to be a severe limitation. If you must have 1080i and you are doing primarily unattended shooting or don't want to deal with hot-swapping cards while shooting, then this is probably not the right camera for you. If you find, like me, that 720p looks at least as good as 1080i then don't worry about the record time. Swapping cards works just fine and you always have the option of direct recording to hard drive via Firewire. If you don't want to make the investment in at least two or three 8GB P2 cards, then I don't recommend the camera unless you are planning to record only via Firewire or you are going to use the camera as an SD camera until you can afford the P2 cards.

Transferring the cards to a G4 Powerbook is a pleasure. From Final Cut Pro you select "Import... Panasonic P2" from the File menu. A window shows you each clip and you can select which ones to import. I've found that I can "capture" a couple hours of video in less than a half hour. Surprisingly, the P2 Store appears to be a bit slower copying but still is fast enough to have the card ready for recording by the time you'll need it.

My shooting mode with this camera is to stick with 720/24PN recording mode going to the P2 cards. This maximizes my recording time, lets me take advantage of over- and undercrank, lets me stream simultaneously to Firewire, and gives me beautiful softer film-like video. I also shoot with Cine-Like-D Gamma because I prefer an extended dynamic range with a bit softer saturation. You can call it Film Look versus Reality TV, or Erotic versus Graphic depending on your market. Mastering the Scene settings is clearly the longest learning curve with this camera but has a big payoff in achieving the results you want. With your personal Scene kit on SD, you'll never need another lens filter (except maybe a polarizer).

One caution when recording in Cine-Like Gamma: There's expanded dynamic range but Knee is disabled so there's nothing to prevent blown-out highlights. Be sure to turn on the Zebra and keep a close watch on the highlights.

The HVX-200 is capable of recording fantastic audio. While recording onto P2 Cards, the camera always records four channels of 16-bit audio sampled at 48KHz. Two of these are XLR inputs for external mics and two are the onboard mic. Phantom power is available for the XLRs. The A/D conversion and filters are excellent. My only gripe is that you can only set and view the levels on channel 1 and 2. So to get 4 useable channels, you need to set your levels for channel 3 and 4 and then adjust your input levels for 1 and 2 externally if possible. There should at least be some sort of a level balance in the Menu items.

The headphone output can be set to either input or frame-delayed recorded output. You may find the latter annoying, as you'll hear the output as an echo of reality. I use Bose noise-canceling headphones so I don't hear anything but what's going to tape. For playback, the camera speaker is surprisingly loud. At a recent shoot, I reviewed a shot and had the whole room turn to look for the boom box culprit.

Shooting with this camera is a wonderful experience. It's a sturdy, well-thought-out machine that lets you quickly adapt to changing situations. For the manual shooter, everything is in the right place, easy to use, and visible in the viewfinder. The pictures you take will be mind-blowing. Which brings up another important consideration of shooting with this camera or with HD in general. This is an unforgiving medium. Focus, motion, color, lighting are all much more critical than with SD broadcast recording. Lighting is especially critical with 1/3" CCD cameras since the light sensitivity is less than with 2/3" cameras or some DV cameras. Bring lights or find light. Your available low light shots may be disappointing.

Focus and camera motion are also more critical. I am not a steady camera handler by nature. I use sticks as much as I can and I use a Fig Rig coupled with an attached monopod for most of my "handheld" shooting. This works for me. Although I find the HVX easier to hold and better balanced than the XL2, the HD output puts a much greater demand on good shooting. This is a hefty camera at almost seven pounds with battery. It supposedly just barely works on a Steadicam Merlin if you paste a couple quarters on the counter balance. I recommend getting a sturdier tripod than you might use with a DVX100 or XL2. I had been using a Libec M20 with my XL2 but for the HVX-200 I've acquired a much sturdier Manfrotto 3182, 510 head, and the previously mentioned 522P control arm. One nice feature of this setup is that I have a compatible quick release on the tripod and Fig Rig.

The HD Revolution has reached critical mass. The demand for high-definition video is growing dramatically and the ability to provide HD can provide a significant competitive edge to the independent producer. Of the under $10K high-definition cameras that have been introduced, the HVX-200 is in a class by itself. It is better compared to the $65K cameras that are its genetic heritage. After shooting with this camera for a couple weeks, I don't want to go back. It's the first video camera that I've used that gives me the kind of image quality that I have cherished in film. It's also the first video camera that I've used that gives me the ergonomics, engineering and construction of the very best still cameras.

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New cars tempt shoppers at Rochester auto show - Democrat and Chronicle

Posted: 07 Mar 2010 04:59 AM PST

Rob Rebstein of Brighton was checking out the new cars at the Rochester International Auto Show on Saturday, but he wasn't planning on buying.

It was the second year that Rebstein, who was with his cousin, Brian Bailey of Fairport, has been at the auto show, which was held at the Riverside Convention Center.

"I'm just getting some ideas," said Rebstein, 25, who said he prefers American cars, like Ford and Chevrolet. "I like to come here and see the new stuff. But I'm just looking. Most of it is eye candy."

Plenty of customers were whipping out their camera phones and snapping shots of cars like the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, with a sticker price of $121,980, and the Mercedes S550 sedan, which was going for $94,600. There were also plenty of hybrids and sport-utility vehicles, and more unusual rides such as a handicap-accessible "trike," which allows wheelchair-bound people to drive a motorcycle.

Brad McAreavy, president of the Rochester Auto Dealers Association, said some folks were just looking, but others were shopping.

He said 2009 was the first year in recent memory when new-car sales were topped by "scrappage" vehicles — those that conk out or die — which he said creates a "pent-up demand" for sales.

He also said last year's "Cash for Clunkers" program did not exhaust the market for new-car buyers, but instead got gas guzzlers off the road and kept buyers interested in new cars — and manufacturers producing more fuel-efficient vehicles.

One of the potential shoppers was Karess Rowe of Chili, who said she planned to buy within a few months. She had her eye on the Acura TSX, the Hyundai Tucson and the GMC Terrain.

"Of course, I'm also looking at the cars that I can't purchase," said Rowe, 23, with a smile.

"But it's nice to dream."

Rowe's mother, Sharon Rowe of Rochester, was checking out some eye candy — a Lincoln MKX, with a sticker price of $40,695.

"I'm a little tempted," she said. "But my car is only a year-and-a-half old."

AMORRELL@DemocratandChronicle.com

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Obituary published March 7 - Sun Chronicle

Posted: 06 Mar 2010 11:15 PM PST

A local obituary was published Sunday, March 7 for: Robert K. Casavant Sr., 87, of Wrentham.

Robert K. Casavant Sr., 87

WRENTHAM - Robert K. Casavant Sr., 87, of 119 Thurston St., died peacefully early Saturday morning at the Pond Home in Wrentham. He was the loving and devoted husband of the late Helen (Beaudro) Casavant.

Born in Richford, Vt. on Oct. 30, 1922, he was a son of the late Clarence and Grace (Shattuck) Casavant. Educated in Boston schools, he was a graduate of the Boston Trade School.

A proud veteran, he had served our nation in the United States Army during World War II.

Mr. Casavant was a retired auto mechanic, and had worked for many years maintaining and repairing the fleet of the U.S. Postal Service in Boston. An avid antique car enthusiast, he loved car shows and was at one time a very active member of the South Shore Antique Auto Club. He and his wife also very much enjoyed motorcycle riding and had traveled throughout the Northeast and Canada.

Formerly of Stoughton and Mission Hill, Bob and Helen had moved their family to Wrentham in 1960.

He is survived by his loving children: Robert K. Casavant Jr. of Wrentham, and Beth V. Caddell of Bishop, Calif.; a dear sister, Janice O'Neil of Norwood; four devoted grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit with his family at the home of his son Robert Casavant Jr., 40 Ray Road, Wrentham, today, Sunday, March 7 from 1 to 4 p.m.

No further services are planned at this time.

Arrangements are in the care of Richard Ross and the RJ Ross Funeral Home, Wrentham Center, www.rjrossfuneralhomeinc.com.

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plus 3, Law Wins Pole For Grand Prix Of Miami - The Auto Chanel

2010-03-06T09:06:00.001-08:00

plus 3, Law Wins Pole For Grand Prix Of Miami - The Auto Chanel

Law Wins Pole For Grand Prix Of Miami - The Auto Chanel
Mercury News interview: Sergio Santos, president of UAW Local 2244 - San Jose Mercury News
Honda picks Rajasthan over Haryana - Central Chronicle
MANDARIN COPS: Shoplifter caught after store employee bitten and ... - Florida Times-Union

Law Wins Pole For Grand Prix Of Miami - The Auto Chanel

Posted: 06 Mar 2010 08:35 AM PST

HOMESTEAD, March 6, 2010: Darren Law - with some help from Brumos Racing official Hurley Haywood - ran a lap of 1:11.806 (115.311 mph) to capture the pole for Saturday's Grand Prix of Miami, Round 2 of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

Law led a nine-driver assault on Jon Fogarty's five-month-old Homestead-Miami Speedway Daytona Prototype track record in preparation for the two-hour, 45-minute race that takes the green flag at 5 p.m. ET Saturday (SPEED, live).

Paul Edwards won the GT pole in the No. 07 Mobil 1 Corvette with a lap of 1:18.123 (106.322 mph). Eight drivers were under Nick Ham's 2009 track mark in the 15-minute session.

Fogarty qualified second in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet, 1:11.839 (114.311 mph), followed by Brian Frisselle in the No. 6 The Pit Stop on Norris Lake Ford Riley, 1:12.079 (114.874 mph); Memo Rojas in the No. 01 TELMEX BMW Riley, 1:12.166 (114.735 mph); and Ricky Taylor in the No. 10 SunTrust Ford Dallara, 1:12.282 (114.551 mph).

Also eclipsing the former track record were Ryan Hunter-Reay in the No. 95 Crown Royal Cask No. 16/US Bank BMW Riley, Mark Wilkins in the No. 61 Pacific Mobile Ford Riley, Buddy Rice in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Porsche Coyote, and Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Terry Borcheller in the No. 9 Action Express Racing Porsche Riley.

Haywood won last October's Grand Prix as a late substitute in the No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley, co-driving with Joao Barbosa. One of America's most successful endurance racers, Haywood retired from active competition following the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona - a race he won a record five times. He remains active in the sport as an official with Brumos Racing.

"Prior to going out, Hurley told me to get in the car and visualize the track," said Law, who won his only prior pole position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2005. "I kind of blew it off, but I did get in the car early and tried to visualize it. Then we went out and won the pole, and Hurley's taking all the credit for it."

Fogarty had a personal streak of winning the pole in his last five qualifying attempts, while he ended 2009 by winning the pole in six of the last seven races, including the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"We would like to be on the pole, but it's a good starting position," said Fogarty, who shared the 2007 and 2009 Daytona Prototype championships with Alex Gurney. "I'm a little disappointed that we didn't maximize qualifying, but we were also trying to conserve our tires and not put a lot of laps on them. We only ran one quick lap. The Brumos guys are right there and super fast. "

Edwards and Banner Racing won the GT class in three of its last four Homestead races in a Pontiac. Edwards will be joined on Saturday by Scott Russell in the No. 07 Mobil 1 Corvette, with the motorcycle legend missing Friday's Homestead activities to participate in SPEED's coverage of the Daytona 200 By Honda - America's premier motorcycle race. Russell won that event five times.

"We couldn't do three laps in a row at Daytona without it breaking down," said Edwards. "Today, we ran all day without a problem. The car's fast. We're getting the car very well balanced. The team's done a remarkable job to get the car where we didn't have a hiccup in it. That gives me a lot of confidence."

SpeedSource claimed the next three positions and Mazda the next four. Jonathan Bomarito made his qualifying debut as regular co-driver in the Rolex 24 class-winning SpeedSource No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 by winning the outside pole with a lap of 1:18.132 (105.975 mph).

John Edwards qualified third in the debut of the SpeedSource No. 68 Nuclear Clean Air Energy Mazda RX-8, 1:18.137 (105.968 mph), followed by Emil Assentato in the SpeedSource No. 69 FXDD Mazda, 1:18.144 (105.958 mph) and Todd Lamb in the No. 30 Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda RX-8, 1:18.219 (105.857 mph).

Also under Ham's old track record were Andrew Davis in the No. 57 Stevenson Automotive Group/Vin Solutions Camaro, James Gue in Dempsey Racing's No. 41 Global Diving Mazda RX-8 and Luke Hines in the No. 48 Miller Barrett Racing Porsche GT3.

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Mercury News interview: Sergio Santos, president of UAW Local 2244 - San Jose Mercury News

Posted: 06 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PST

Once upon a time, Sergio Santos had time aplenty — to play golf, take camping trips, ski at Incline Village. Now his mountain condo has been sold, the fairways and putting greens are distant memories, and the president of the local chapter of the United Autoworkers in Fremont has been devoting every waking hour to just one thing:

Trying to keep the NUMMI auto plant from shutting down forever.

This week, success seemed more elusive than ever. Toyota said it was determined to close the fabled New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. plant April 1, cutting adrift its 4,700 employees and tens of thousands of vendors throughout the Bay Area and beyond. That seemed to deal Santos and his fellow members of the UAW Local 2244 a fatal blow.

"With all of Toyota's quality-control problems right now, why abandon a world-class work force that wins awards, and just throw these people out of a job?" he asked. "Some employees have been here as long as 26 years, and building quality cars and trucks is all they've ever known."

Toyota did say it would give $250 million in bonuses to help workers through the transition period. But Santos' bigger battle seemed to be drawing to a close.

Q What's the mood now at NUMMI as the plant approaches shutdown?

A As we get close to March 31, people are feeling the reality starting to sink in. But at the same time, our efficiency rating has gone up six or seven points into the

high 90s, which tells me that these workers are trying to show the company that they've got a quality work force in place here, and it would be a shame to shut this plant down.

There's a lot of uncertainty. But our members are hoping that a delegation heading to Japan this week (Thursday) on our behalf will be able to get an extension at the very least. For now, people are still focused on their work and hopeful that this place can be saved somehow.

Q What would NUMMI's closing mean to the Bay Area's economy?

A With the loss of jobs for nearly 5,000 workers at the plant, along with 50,000 more throughout the state among suppliers and vendors, the closure would mean an economic tsunami for the Bay Area and beyond.

And from janitors to people doing environmental cleaning at night, to people making truck beds in L.A. or seats in Livermore, you'll see families ripped apart, suicides and broken homes. And you'll have a lot of homes lost to foreclosure. A lot of our people have already stopped making payments on their homes because they know they might not be able to pay those mortgages going forward.

Q What has the relationship between NUMMI and the UAW been like over the years?

A It's been quite unique. We've had eight successive contracts without any work stoppage. For example, in 2005 the company came to us in the middle of a contract saying insurance costs were too high, so our members agreed to help offset those costs. We rose to the occasion and ratified a modified contract to modify the insurance plan.

Q How did you end up as the local's president?

A I was first elected president about five years ago. I came up through the ranks after starting at NUMMI in 1991, working on the assembly line. I'm originally from San Leandro, and my grandfather worked in the '50s at an automotive plant where Eastmont Mall now sits. And my dad worked at the Fremont plan in the early '60s, so I'm a third-generation autoworker, one of only a handful at NUMMI today.

Q What else can be done to try and keep the plant open?

A We have a blue-ribbon commission headed by California Treasurer Bill Lockyer and UC-Berkeley professor Harley Shaiken, and their delegation is heading to Japan, giving Toyota reasons why they shouldn't close the plant down. At the very least, they should give us an extension so we'd have time to try to figure things out, even if it comes to the union making concessions to keep it open. We just want Toyota to give us a chance.

Contact Patrick May at 408-920-5689.

SERGIO SANTOS

Age: 46
Birthplace: San Leandro
Position: President of UAW Local 2244
Previous jobs: An assembly-line worker at NUMMI and before that an air-conditioning mechanic
Education: San Jose City College
Family: Fiancee, Marcella Velasco; daughter, Ashley, 22.
Residence: Willow Glen
Other interests: Golf, travel, camping, skiing, riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles, BBQ with the family, "but I"ve had no spare time to do any of that in the past three years."

FIVE THINGS ABOUT SERGIO SANTOS

1. Quit college and took a job to help put his older brother through college.

2. Is a third-generation auto worker.

3. Has traveled to all 50 states.

4. An avid bicyclist, he has often ridden from Willow Glen to Morgan Hill and back.

5. Fell in love at first sight with his fiancee, Marcella, after asking her out of the blue to have coffee. Marcella, a real-estate agent, thought at first he wanted to buy a house, but he soon confessed he was " lost inside her eyes and couldn"t find my way out."

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Honda picks Rajasthan over Haryana - Central Chronicle

Posted: 06 Mar 2010 04:39 AM PST

Agencies
Jaipur, Mar 6:
After facing a series of labour unrest at its existing plant in Manesar, two-wheeler maker Honda Motorcycle & Scooter (HMSI) India Private Limited has finally decided to step out of Haryana for its second manufacturing facility. The auto major has selected Rajasthan for this facility with an initial investment of Rs 500 crore.
The plant, spread across 60 acres near Bhiwadi, would have an initial capacity of 6 lakh vehicles per annum. The company intends to scale up its capacity to 12 lakh vehicles per annum after five years with an additional investment of Rs 600 crore. Bureau of Investment Promotion commissioner Purshottam Agarwal told ET that the state government has cleared the company's proposal. Bureau of Investment Promotion is Rajasthan government's investment promotion agency.
"We have offered them a customised package which includes land at concessional rate, cash subsidy on VAT, 50% subsidy on stamp duty, 50% concession on electricity duty and special rate of 0.05% on central sales tax. The civil work is likely to begin this month," he said.
After roping in Honda Siel's second car plant in Khushkhera near Bhiwadi in 2008, this is the second big-ticket investment for Rajasthan in the automobile sector.
"The car plant of Honda Siel is one of the magnetic factors for the company to select Rajasthan for setting up its two-wheeler manufacturing facility in the state. It will help the company manage both plants in a better way. Another pulling factor is the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) complex in Neemrana where dozens of Japanese companies have already set up shops. The HMSI plant will also attract various auto ancillary and accessory units that supply auto parts to this company," he said.
Labour unrest at its existing plant too is said to have played a key role in prompting company to step out of Haryana.
Incidentally, the company, in October last year, had threatened to shut down its factory at Manesar in Haryana and move to an alternate location after production fell by nearly 50% due to workers' strike. This agitation had forced the HMSI management to give a salary hike of Rs 4,400 across the board besides special incentives as per respective remuneration structures.
The company has so far invested Rs 1,300 crore in its plant at Manesar. It is expected to reach 100% capacity utilisation by 2010-11.
The company expects a sale of 1.25 million vehicles this financial year and expects the figure to rise to 1.5 million next year. "Apart from robust domestic sales, we export scooters and motorcycles to 35 countries including most of the countries of the European Union. To fulfill the growing demand, we needed the second manufacturing facility," said a company official.

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MANDARIN COPS: Shoplifter caught after store employee bitten and ... - Florida Times-Union

Posted: 05 Mar 2010 10:48 PM PST

A 32-year-old woman was arrested on multiple charges after a loss-prevention officer at Marshalls told police she punched him in the face several times and bit him on the arm after he saw her conceal children's clothing in her purse.

The shoplifting incident occurred at the store at 10993 San Jose Blvd. at 5 p.m. Sunday. The suspect was arrested on charges of petit theft with two prior theft convictions, resisting a retail merchant and battery with a prior conviction.

Police arrived to find the 34-year-old employee struggling with the suspect at the front door. The employee told police he saw the suspect try to leave Marshalls with items valued at $168. When he told her who he was, police said, she pushed him, punched him and bit him. Another employee told police he witnessed the incident.

The suspect was with two other women who stole items in a bag, but they fled in a black sport utility vehicle, police said.

Sandy Strickland

The following are crimes and other incidents reported recently in Mandarin to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office:

Residential burglary:

10700 block of Sky Lark Drive - Someone came into the home of a 90-year-old woman and stole $67 from her wallet, which was hidden in a cabinet, police said. The burglary occurred between 8 p.m. Feb. 27 and 7:15 a.m. Sunday. Police said the front door was open, but there were no signs of forced entry. The victim has a live-in caregiver.

Motorcycle theft:

8400 block of Southside Boulevard - A black and blue 2007 Suzuki motorcycle was stolen between 2:45 a.m. and 6:45 p.m. Feb. 27. The 22-year-old victim told police the cycle has a large "S" painted on the rear of the seat and a military base decal on the front left side.

Auto burglary:

6100 block of Cherry Lake Drive N. - A radar detector and iPhone adaptor valued at $320 were stolen from a Chevrolet Silverado between 11 p.m. Feb. 27 and 7 a.m. Sunday.

6200 block of Pendragon Place - A radar detector, GPS, part of a car stereo system and five CDs, valued at $750 total, were stolen from an unlocked Toyota Camry between noon Sunday and 9:45 a.m. Monday.

5700 block of Mining Terrace - Food snacks valued at $2,768 were stolen from a truck between 11 a.m. Feb. 27 and 4 a.m. Monday. The victim told police that someone apparently pried open the truck's lock.

-Compiled by Sandy Strickland

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plus 3, Job done, Lutz to retire - Detroit Free Press

2010-03-05T09:05:00.001-08:00

plus 3, Job done, Lutz to retire - Detroit Free Press

Job done, Lutz to retire - Detroit Free Press
Letters: S.D. seat belt law inadequate - Argus Leader
Live Blog: Thousands Rally in San Francisco as Police Detain ... - Daily Californian
Career criminal racks up 126 arrests - KRQE News 13

Job done, Lutz to retire - Detroit Free Press

Posted: 05 Mar 2010 12:36 AM PST

Lutz had planned to make the announcement today but news of his departure spread from Geneva, Switzerland, where he was attending the auto show, to Detroit faster than any of the hot cars he developed over his long career at GM, Chrysler and Ford.

"The influence Bob Lutz has had on GM's commitment to design, build and sell the world's best vehicles will last for years to come," Whitacre said. "I, along with many other men and women in GM and throughout the industry, have greatly benefited from his passion, wisdom and guidance."

There was a time when Lutz was considered the outsider and he was the one pushing for change at GM. That was nearly a decade ago and before GM's bankruptcy last summer that ushered in government ownership and Whitacre.

"Mr. Lutz was an outsider but he was the old-line automotive guy, who liked to run his own show ... and had considerably more power under (former CEO Fritz) Henderson. When Mr. Whitacre came on board, that power was gradually reeled in," said Sheldon Stone, a restructuring expert at Amherst Partners.

It will be Lutz's second attempt to retire from GM.

Roughly a year ago, Lutz, now 78, announced plans to leave at the end of 2009. But those plans were shelved as GM emerged from bankruptcy in July and he was given a new assignment as vice chairman of marketing.

Then in December, Whitacre, having just assumed the role of CEO, announced that Lutz would be an adviser to him.

Lutz's outspoken style seemed at odds with Whitacre. As the new CEO reorganized the company, Lutz's place became unclear.

Many in Detroit credit Lutz for turning around GM's product lineup by pushing aside bean counters and restoring emphasis on quality and design. He was beloved by many inside GM who credit him for launching their careers.

Others, however, looked at his views on global warming -- he called it a crock -- and other outspoken comments as evidence that he was part of an old Detroit culture that needed to evolve to a modern era.

However, he also championed development of the Chevrolet Volt, an electric-drive car that's slated to hit the market later this year and could help improve GM's image.

In February 2009, when he announced his first plan to retire, Lutz told the Free Press he was looking forward to spending time with his family. "I'm going to be 77. Ninety years old is only 13 years away. You start thinking, 'Wait a minute, if I don't retire soon, when the heck am I going to start going on motorcycle trips and visiting my daughter in Chicago and driving to Florida ... as opposed to being constantly on airplanes?' " Lutz said at the time.

Contact TIM HIGGINS: thiggins@freepress.com

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Letters: S.D. seat belt law inadequate - Argus Leader

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 11:53 PM PST

I agree with the Feb. 27 Argus Leader editorial "Seat belts can save lives and $5 million." I work in a health care environment where during the past seven years I have cared for a number of otherwise healthy, able-bodied individuals who ended up on life support for the duration of their lives because they were not wearing a seat belt in a major auto accident.

The current South Dakota codified seat belt law is inadequate. The bill - SB79 - that recently did not pass in the Legislature would have allowed citation stops solely for a seat belt violation. Instead, the law currently cites a person for not wearing a seat belt only after being observed when stopped for something else. The penalty would have been a $25 fine. What's wrong with this picture?

More emphasis should be placed on the freedom to protect others from making illogical decisions to place themselves and others in danger. It is a government intervention I will accept that has not yet been done. Not to mention that I have known four wonderful people who died and one who seriously was injured for not wearing a safety helmet while traveling on a motorcycle.

We have half of a seat belt law and no law in place to protect motorcycle riders who are even more at risk. You can argue that it is your right not to wear a seat belt or to wear a helmet. I join the ranks of many health care workers who are standing by in the event we have to wipe the blood from your body and the tears from the faces of your family while they consistently ask the same question over and over again as I do: "Why?"

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Live Blog: Thousands Rally in San Francisco as Police Detain ... - Daily Californian

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 09:37 PM PST

This is a live-blog of the Daily Cal's updates about today's protests throughout the Bay Area. If the main Daily Cal Web site does not load, check the Daily Cal's Twitter or Facebook for updates.

7:20 p.m. SAN FRANCISCO

Protesters involved in the march have largely dispersed, but small contingents continue to trek north on Market Street.

7:07 p.m. SAN FRANCISCO

The crowd has shrunk to about 200-300 people, who after converging upon Union Square elected to continue eastward Powell Street.

7:04 p.m.

UC President Mark Yudof has released a statement outlining his reaction to the day's events:

"My heart and my support are with everybody and anybody who wants to stand up for public education. I salute those who are making themselves heard today in a peaceful manner on behalf of a great cause."

Read the rest of the statement here.

7:00 p.m. SAN FRANCISCO

The crowd reportedly has sprinted up Pine Street. Though initially confused on where to go, crowd members apparently have decided upon Union Square.

And the mantra, "No cuts, no fees, education must be free," continues to be echoed across the Bay Area and California.

6:47 p.m. SAN FRANCISCO

Interactions between police and protesters in the City have been peaceful, according to Jose Antonio, a junior history major from Canada College in Redwood City, Calif.

Marchers have turned northward on Kearny Street.

6:35 p.m. SAN FRANCISCO

Amid chants of "save our schools," about 500 protesters are marching through the City and have blocked northbound traffic on Market Street near Powell Street, though southbound traffic appears to be unimpeded.

About twelve police officers on motorcycles are riding ahead of the march, while four motorcycles and a police SUV are bringing up the rear.

5:41 p.m. OAKLAND

Traffic appears to be moving slowly again near the 980-880 interchange in both directions. Roughly all of the 100 protesters that rushed onto the highway have been detained and are being transported away on a bus.

5:35 p.m. SAN FRANCISCO

Across the bay in San Francisco, the mood at the rally is reportedly upbeat as protesters have blocked off Polk Street near City Hall. Organizers have said about 25 different schools are being represented.

5:28 p.m. OAKLAND

Between 20-30 people have been detained by police in Oakland. Earlier, another group of protesters had broken off the highway crash barriers and pushed them toward police on the highway ramp.

5:20 p.m. OAKLAND

A protester reportedly attempted to leap from Highway 980 onto a nearby tree, but failed to complete the jump and fell to the ground. He is currently being treated by paramedics.

5:17 p.m.

While anarchists are being handcuffed in the East Bay, thousands of protesters are rallying at City Hall in San Francisco.

5:06 p.m.

Several protesters have been detained by police, which have amassed more than 50 officers to the scene on Highway 980 near 9th Street and Broadway.

5:02 p.m.

Police have halted traffic westbound on Highway 980 and nearby exits have been blocked as protesters continue to march.

4:55 p.m.

In defiance of police orders, the protesters are continuing to advance up the off-ramp against the flow of traffic.

4:53 p.m.

Police are telling protesters to freeze because they are attempting to walk against traffic onto the Highway 980 off-ramp.

4:41 p.m.

The group of 100 protesters has left UCOP, heading west on 11th Street. A contingent of about 30 police officers clad in riot gear are marching in formation behind the group.

4:39 p.m.

There are four UCPD officers guarding the entrance to UCOP as protesters hold signs reading "Occupy Everything" just feet away from them.

4:31 p.m.

A group of protesters including some of the anarchists appear to be headed toward the UC Office of the President located at 1111 Franklin St.

Alameda County Sheriffs are lined up along Franklin as motorcycle cops clear traffic ahead of the group, which is heading the wrong way down the one-way street.

Members of the crowd were heard saying "Two blocks from UCOP, you know what happens when we get there."

4:22 p.m.

About 75 anarchists clad in black are dancing in the middle of the intersection of 14th Street and Broadway. Meanwhile, 30 police officers have barricaded the west and south entrances of the intersection.

4:05 p.m.

The Oakland rally has concluded amid familiar chants of "No cuts, no fees, education must be free."

The protest now sets its course westward to San Francisco.

3:35 p.m.

"Our enemy is one and the same: university, authority and capitalism," said Tomoko Horaguchi, vice president of the Hosei University branch of the All-Japan Federation of Student Self-Government Associations, at the rally. "No violence can ever break solidarity of students."

While the Oakland rally continues in earnest, the buses departed from Sacramento have returned to the UC Berkeley campus.

3:09 p.m.

Marika Goodrich, who was also arraigned Monday for charges relating to last week's Southside riot, is now addressing the crowd.

"Repression is just a tactic to scare and silence, but we are not afraid," she said. "Today, March 4, we will not be silenced."

3:00 p.m.

The City Hall protest is now in full swing as 1,500 people fill Frank Ogawa Plaza. A speaker addressing the crowd, which had already been demonstrating in Oakland, invited them to "make some noise for Berkeley" upon the marchers' arrival.

2:56 p.m.

The marchers have arrived at the corner of 14th and Broadway, just one hundred yards from Oakland's City Hall.

Police officers with riot helmets and batons have blocked off 14th Street to the east and Broadway to the south, leaving marchers with a single pathway to their destination.

2:48 p.m.

Protesters are now approaching 19th Street. Leaders are attempting to get everyone behind protest banners as they near their destination while shouting, "The people united will never be divided!"

2:42 p.m.

About 20 Oakland Police officers sporting riot helmets have barricaded 14th Street and Broadway across from City Hall.

2:38 p.m.

The banner has been removed, and the march continues.

2:30 p.m.

The anarchists have draped a banner on the CVS billboard affixed to a building located at the intersection of 25th Street and Telegraph, which reads, "Fight back today, may day, everyday."

2:23 p.m.

Downtown Oakland is in clear sight as the crowd marches across 33rd Street on Telegraph.

2:09 p.m.

About 12 elementary school students have joined the protesters at the intersection of 42nd Street and Telegraph, chanting "Save our schools! SOS!"

The march has about 26 blocks left to go.

1:58 p.m.

About 100 self-described anarchists are marching 100 yards ahead of the larger thrust, led by a black van with the words "Occupy Everything" written on it.

Blanca Misse, who is leading the main march, said she is attempting to create distance from the anarchist faction.

"They have the right to come in and be separate from us, but people also have the right to disassociate from them," she said.

1:48 p.m.

While briefly stopped at the intersection of 55th Street and Telegraph Avenue, marchers chanted, "Strike! Take over! Occupy everything!" before proceeding.

1:44 p.m.

The march has just crossed into Oakland jurisdiction. Other than the front line, the marchers are reportedly proceeding quietly.

According to Miller, this is to "conserve energy."

1:37 p.m.

Police efforts to clear a lane for traffic have evidently failed, as protesters are occupying both lanes as they continue to march south.

"Now we are going good," said Zachary Miller, who has been negotiating with police. He was arraigned Monday for charges in relation to last week's Southside riot. "We got both lanes, we got three miles to go. We are in pretty good shape."

1:28 p.m.

Police are reportedly attempting to reclaim half of the street to allow for traffic flow, but protesters are rallying marchers to "hold the line."

1:22 p.m.

The crowd is now chanting "Whose streets? Our streets!" as they cross 66th Street, just shy of the Berkeley/Oakland border.

Oakland police now estimate between 500 and 1000 people are marching.

1:15 p.m.

With the traffic now cleared, the crowd is once again on the move.

1:12 p.m.

The march has again been halted as Berkeley police begin to clear traffic ahead of the intersection of Ashby and Telegraph avenues.

1:07 p.m.

The march, which spans seven city blocks, is now at the intersection of Russell Street and Telegraph Avenue.

12:57 p.m.

The march was momentarily halted at the intersection of Telegraph Avenue and Ward Street due to an AC Transit bus blocking the road way.

A camper with protest slogans painted on it named "St. Rita" has been leading the march down Telegraph, and driver Ramon Quintero, a UC Berkeley senior, has navigated around the bus.

"We cannot keep moving in a direction that privileges the few at the expense of the many," he said.

12:54 p.m.

About 4 police officers on bicycles and 4 police on motorcycles are escorting the marching crowd, which has just crossed Parker Street heading southbound on Telegraph Avenue.

12:42 p.m.

The crowd has just begun to march south on Telegraph Avenue to join other protesters at a rally being held in Downtown Oakland.

Currently, hundreds of high school students have gathered in front of the Oakland City Hall to speak on behalf of the protest.

12:31 p.m.

Other Southside businesses are not faring too well either.

Subway Manager Rigoberto Alonso said the sandwich shop is also taking a loss today.

12:15 p.m.

Ro Rabelo, owner of the Desi Dog hot dog truck that typically sets up shop near the intersection, said he's only made $2 today despite the huge crowd gathered around the truck.

"I'll take the loss to support the cause," he said.

12:19 p.m.

The number of protesters has swelled to about 800 as speakers address the crowd in preparation for the march to Oakland.

11:55 a.m.

Two individuals were throwing water balloons at the protesters. UCPD asked the individuals to stop.

The crowd at the intersection dispersed briefly to allow the buses to go through.

A group of 10 people from Tohoku University and Hosei University in Japan, among other locales, are protesting with students at UC Berkeley for international solidarity.

11:53 a.m.

About 400 people are demonstrating at the intersection of Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue singing "Don't Stop Believing" by the band Journey.

11:48 a.m.

About 200 people are currently protesting and dancing at the intersection of Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue, blocking seven cars and two buses.

Protesters have moved away from Sather Gate and are marching towards the intersection.

11:42 a.m.

About 35 people are marching west from Boalt Hall on Bancroft Way and impeding traffic. One individual is carrying a sign, "Berkeley Law - We Object." One police officer on a motorcycle is following the group and another police officer on a motorcycle is in front of the group.

11:40 a.m.

About 25 Boalt Hall School of Law students are rallying around Boalt Hall to gather people to go to Upper Sproul Plaza.

11:23 a.m.

About seven members from the Muslim Student Association are protesting at Sather Gate with other student groups including a Chicano group Mechxa de UCB.

11:16 a.m.

A group of individuals calling themselves SCAB (Strategic Counteractivism Brigade) are staging a mock protest in front of Sather Gate. The individuals are holding several signs, one of which reads, "Diversify Your Portfolio, Not Your Student Body," and saying "I am compliant, please privatize me university."

11:12 a.m.

An individual is waving a flag on top of Sather Gate.

11:09 a.m.

A midterm for L&S 140B was interrupted in Valley Life Sciences Building. Protesters are now heading toward Oxford Street.

11:05 a.m.

About 25 protesters have entered the main auditorium and smaller classrooms in the Valley Life Sciences Building.

11:03 a.m.

The fire alarm was activated in Wheeler Hall and people are exiting the building. At least five police officers are on scene.

The banner which reads, "Money For Jobs + Education, Not for War + Incarceration" has been hung up across Sather Gate.

10:59 a.m.

Protesters are hanging up a banner across Sather Gate.

10:52 a.m.

Both flying pickets, which were previously headed towards the Campanile and Le Conte Hall, have returned to Sather Gate.

10:47 a.m.

An individual has mounted Sather Gate in what appears to be an attempt to hang up a banner across the gate.

10:44 a.m.

Protesters that were part of the flying picket that entered Wheeler and Pimentel Halls are now heading toward Le Conte Hall. Protesters part of the other flying picket that entered Dwinelle Hall are now heading toward the Campanile.

10:42 a.m.

Protesters in Dwinelle Hall are opening doors on the second floor drumming on a trash can and chanting, "Teach your class on the picket line!"

10:40 a.m.

About 25 protesters walked on to the stage in Wheeler Auditorium and subsequently left.

10:34 a.m.

About 25 protesters from the group that are walking into Wheeler Auditorium interrupting an ongoing lecture, chanting "Today we strike, tomorrow we go to school." Nine police officers are standing outside Wheeler Hall.

As part of a second flying picket about 20 protesters led by Miller are also interrupting classes in Dwinelle Hall.

10:24 a.m.

Another group of protesters are circling in front of Sather Gate with banners that read "Occupy Everything." Students from Oakland High School have joined the protesters, and are holding a banner that reads "Oakland Youth Demand Equal Education."

10:21 a.m.

The marching crowd entered a lecture hall in Pimentel Hall and interrupted an ongoing lecture. Members of the crowd told students to leave the hall and fight for their right of education.

Professor Muller asked the protesters to leave.

"I think you made your point, it's time to leave," Muller said. "You're welcome to stay, sit down and improve your education."

Police officers followed the crowd into the lecture hall, but took no action.

10:17 a.m.

About 30 protesters left the Sather Gate picket and formed flying picket. The protesters walked past Barrows Hall toward the Campanile saying, "Whose university? Our university!" and "Fight back!" Two police officers are following the protesters.

10:14 a.m.

The number of people picketing at the intersection of Telegraph Avenue and Bancroft Way with signs indicating their affiliation with United Auto Workers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees increased to about 35 people. Some picketers are chanting, "they say furlough we say hell no." People are crossing the picket line unopposed.

9:55 a.m.

A dispute between 20 protesters and an individual carrying an "Impeach Barack Obama" sign was resolved as some of the protesters and the individual carrying the sign embraced each other and said they understood each other.

9:47 a.m.

About three individuals holding "Impeach Barack Obama" signs are being physically pushed by protesters at Sather Gate.

"You're not here for the same reason, we don't support you, get out," some protesters said to the individuals carrying "Impeach Barack Obama" signs.

9:12 a.m.

Students are crossing Strawberry Creek in lieu of being able to pass through Sather Gate.

9:05 a.m.

One individual appeared to get into a verbal confrontation with demonstrators as he attempted to pass through the gate.

8:48 a.m.

Additional police officers have arrived on scene. The two arrested at Friday's riots, Marika Goodrich and Zachary Miller, are at Sather Gate. Miller, a UC Berkeley alumnus and organizer for the "Rolling University" activist group, appears to be leading chants. Goodrich is a graduating UC Berkeley senior.

8:35 a.m.

The crowd at Sather Gate has grown to about 100 people. Some individuals are chanting, "ain't no power but the power of the people cause the power of the people don't stop."

UCPD officers have arrived on scene. One officer is at Golden Bear Cafe, as well as some more near Sather Gate itself.

8:03 a.m.

Sather Gate is currently blocked off by a sitting group of about 65 demonstrators who have linked arms and are chanting, "no cuts, no fees, education must be free."

7:35 a.m.

The March 4 day of statewide action launched at about 7:02 a.m. today, with picket lines forming at various entrances to campus.

One line of about 25 people with signs indicating affiliation with the United Auto Workers has formed at the intersection of Telegraph Avenue and Bancroft Way.

Tags: SATHER GATE, MARCH 4 DAY OF ACTION, UNITED AUTO WORKERS

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Career criminal racks up 126 arrests - KRQE News 13

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 07:21 PM PST

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Albuquerque police said they're outraged at the justice system after they arrested a man for the 126th time on Thursday.

The sheer number of pages in Kevin Garner's criminal history could fill a novel.

Some of his current neighbors were stumped how this career criminal was allowed to be on the streets and in their neighborhood.

"We've actually noticed a big increase in traffic here lately just going up and down the street, late at night," neighbor Jerry Field said.

Police said neighbors' hunches were right.

Investigators said Garner, 42, was cook meth and peddling drugs out of his northwest Albuquerque home.

Garner was arrested and charged with trafficking a controlled substance.

For several weeks detectives were staking out Garner's home near Unser and Ouray.

They believe the evidence they've rounded up is solid. Garner sold meth to informants for several weeks before the bust, according to police.

Early Thursday morning, Albuquerque SWAT raided the home and found all the ingredients for a meth lab.

"The chemicals, as well as you used to cook it, you use to cut it, to package it, the scales," Public Safety Director Darren White said.
Police said they wonder if it will be enough this time.

"He should be at the penitentiary in Santa Fe, and he should have been there a long time ago, I don't maybe the 15, 20th arrest." White said.

Garner's first arrest in Albuquerque dates back to 1985.

Since then, he's been in handcuffs nearly every year.

Garner's long list of charges included aggravated burglary, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, auto theft, extortion, kidnapping, false imprisonment, assault on a police officer, bribery of a witness, child abuse and drug-dealing.

After hearing about Garner's past neighbors were stunned to find out the justice system allowed him to live in their neighborhood instead of behind bars.

"I think that's a little absurd, I didn't know that until you told me," Field said. "That leaves me to believe there is something wrong somewhere in the system."

Police said Garner's troubles may not be over. The auto theft team was called out to look at vehicle identification numbers from several vehicles found on his property, including a motorcycle in his living room, to make sure they are not stolen.

The city also boarded up the home saying it was a wreck. The city said there was a large amount of clutter and junk inside the home and there were major electrical hazards that could spark a fire.

Garner's bond is set at $100,000 cash only.

Police also arrested Jennifer Silva-Ziegler, 44, for drug trafficking. She was living at the home with Garner.

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plus 3, "Automotive Industry in Australia" Published - PR Inside

2010-03-04T09:07:00.001-08:00

plus 3, "Automotive Industry in Australia" Published - PR Inside

"Automotive Industry in Australia" Published - PR Inside
Eglin Briefs - NW Florida Daily News
Job done, Lutz to retire - Detroit Free Press
Speech by Mr. Takanobu Ito President and CEO, Honda Motor Co. - The Auto Chanel

"Automotive Industry in Australia" Published - PR Inside

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 08:30 AM PST

2010-03-04 17:29:20 - New Manufacturing market report from IBISWorld: "Automotive Industry in Australia"

This Industry Market Research report from IBISWorld provides a detailed analysis of the Automotive Industry in Australia industry, including key growth trends, statistics, forecasts, the competitive environment including market shares and the key issues facing the industry.

Industry Definition

This industry includes car manufacturers, parts suppliers, car dealers and mechanics. These companies are generally engaged in the design, research, development, manufacture,

selling, and maintenance of motor vehicles and parts. Motor vehicles refer to cars, utes, station wagons, SUVs and people movers that are either sold to the general public or to businesses and the Government. The report does not cover vans, motorcycles, buses or heavy commercial vehicles such as trucks.

Report Contents

The About this Industry chapter provides general information about the scope of the industry such as an industry definition and a list of the main activities of the industry.

The Industry at a Glance chapter provides a brief snapshot of the key indicators of the industry such as industry revenue and forecast growth rate.

The Industry Performance chapter covers the following: Executive Summary, Key External Drivers, Current Performance, Industry Outlook and Industry Life Cycle. The Executive Summary section is a brief summary of the overall chapter. The Key External Drivers section looks at the key factors outside the control of an individual business that determine the industry's performance. The Current Performance section provides analysis for the industry over the past five years with key performance indicators discussed. The Industry Outlook section is a key analysis section of the report and outlines expectations for the key industry indicators over the next five year period, including forecasts. The Industry Life Cycle section provides a discussion of where the industry is at in its life cycle and how that is affecting industry performance.

The Products & Markets chapter covers the following: Supply Chain, Products & Services, Demand Determinants, Major Markets, International Trade and Business Locations. The Supply Chain section lists the key buying and key selling industries associated with this industry. The Products & Services section lists the products and services the industry provides including percentage breakdowns by key segment. The Demand Determinants section provides an analysis of the determinants behind the level of demand for the industry's products. The Major Markets section gives an analysis of the markets for the industry's products and how these markets may have changed over time. The International Trade section provides a discussion of the importance of trade to the industry. The Business Locations section highlights where the industry operates and why.

The Competitive Landscape chapter is a discussion of the characteristics of an average operator in the industry and who controls the market for the products of the industry. It includes the following sections: Market Share Concentration, Key Success Factors, Cost Structure Benchmarks, Basis of Competition, Barriers to Entry and Industry Globalization. The Market Share Concentration section discusses the level of concentration of the industry. The Key Success Factors section looks at the key internal factors that contribute to the success of an operator in the industry. The Cost Structure Benchmarks section discusses the average costs faced by operators in the industry. The Basis of Competition section is a discussion of the factors that can give a company in this industry a competitive edge. The Barriers to Entry section looks at the factors preventing new companies from entering the industry. The Industry Globalization section provides an indication to which the industry is affected by global operations and trends.

The Major Companies chapter analyses the companies that have the most substantial influence on the industry. Market Share figures and a discussion of the major companies operations within the industry are given where possible.

The Operating Conditions chapter covers the following: Structural Risk Index, Investment Requirements, Technology & Systems, Industry Volatility, Regulation & Policy, Industry Assistance and Taxation Issues. The Structural Risk Index section provides an indicator of the level of risk faced by operators in the industry. The Investment Requirements section is an analysis of the level of capital investment required to operate in the industry. The Technology & Systems section discusses the key technologies used by the industry. The Industry Volatility section looks at the level of in the industry and the factors behind this volatility. The Regulation & Policy section looks in to the regulatory measures the industry is subject to and the corresponding compliance burden faced by operators in the industry. The Industry Assistance section discusses the level of assistance the industry receives from Government. The Taxation Issues gives a comparison between the level of tax burden on this industry compared to other industries and discusses industry-specific taxation measures placed upon it.

The Key Statistics chapter provides the key indicators for the industry for at least the last three years. The statistics included are industry revenue, industry value added (or gross product), establishments, enterprises, employment, exports, imports, wages, domestic demand and any relevant industry-specific data where appropriate. There is also a Historical Performance section that discusses the key past events that have determined industry performance.

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
- www.fastmr.com/prod/51434_automotive_industry_in_australia.aspx

About IBISWorld

IBISWorld's Industry Intelligence can assist in making better business decisions about strategies and revenue generation by gaining an instant understanding of an unfamiliar or familiar industry faster & more conveniently than previously possible. IBISWorld is a powerful business tool to learn about existing clients or potential clients' core industries of involvement & how changes to those industries can have an impact on you or your organization. IBISWorld's reports cover over 700 United States industries – everything from Shoes Stores to Gold Ore Mining and all industries in between. In addition to their core Industry Report product, they also publish over 700 US Industry Risk Rating Reports, over 700 Industry Profiles, over 8000 Publicly Traded US Companies as well as hundreds of Economic & Demographic Profiles. View more research from IBISWorld at www.fastmr.com/catalog/publishers.aspx?pubid=1007

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Eglin Briefs - NW Florida Daily News

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 08:16 AM PST

From staff reports

Inside the gates

Munitions inventory March 1-12

The 46th Test Wing Munitions Flight will be performing a semi-annual wall-to-wall inventory of the base stock account from March 1-12.

During this period no munitions issues, turn-ins, or shipments will be scheduled unless an emergency situation exists.

All munitions users are requested to pre-plan their munitions requirements prior to the start of the inventory. For more information contact 46 MXS/MXMWMA, Mr. Fisher at 2-8297 or MSgt. Lindberg at 2-3980.

Library Closed for Inventory

The Base Library will be closed for inventory on March 11. 882-5016

Motorcycle Safety Day

Eglin Air Force Base "Knowledge Is Protection" Motorcycle Safety Day Campaign is March 12 at 8 a.m. with the show starting 8:30 a.m. at the Eglin Enlisted Center.

Schedule of Events include:

• Todd Roberts — EF Motorcycle Simulators

•Visiting Shops — Open Discussion

•Motorcycle Safety Instruction

•Skills Ride Competition

•Best Motorcycle Competition

•Group Ride to Lunch

All Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field, Duke Field and Tyndall AFB motorcycle riders are welcome.

If interested in the group ride to Destin Hooters, contact joe.bailey@eglin.af.mil no later than March 5. Event coordinators are Ron Shenkel, AAC/SEG 882-7333, Joe Bailey, 53 WG/SEG 882-5734, Dave King, 53 WG/SEG 882-7510.

AETC Special Duty Recruiting

The Air Education and Training Command (AETC) Special Duty Recruiting team will visit Eglin to hold a seminar from 8:45-10:45 a.m. March 17 at the Enlisted Professional Development Center, Bldg. 19C.

The seminar will offer in-depth information on Special Duty assignments including Military Training Instructors, Military Training Leaders, Recruiters, PME Instructors and more.

If you've ever been interested in a Special Duty assignment, don't miss this opportunity to gather all the details on these positions and the application process. For information, contact Eglin Career Assistance Advisor MSgt. Shauna Bauer at 882-2449.

Drunk Driving

AADD was adopted in 2000 primarily to save lives and prevent DUIs. The program operates 24/7 and relies heavily on volunteers. For the safety of drivers some information will be needed to be provided to the dispatcher. If you need a ride, call 882-SAFE (882-7233).

AFRC

'Active Relationships' marriage retreat

A free three-day marriage retreat will be held at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort at 5 p.m. March 19 through noon March 21. All Team Eglin active duty military and spouses are eligible to register at the Airman & Family Readiness Center.

The retreat will strengthen relationships and provide tools to cope with common stressors that coincide with deployments. Understanding individual personalities, money management and successful communication topics will be discussed in relation to deployment. Post deployment topics include establishing new routines and responsibilities, intentional connections, and managing emotions.

For information or to register, call the A&FRC at 882-9060.

Airman & Family Readiness classes

EMPLOYMENT

JobsPlus Military Spouse & Family Employment Advocate: Wednesdays, 2:30-4:30 pm

RELOCATION

Sponsor Training: Friday, March 12, 2-2:30 pm

TRANSITION

Transition Assistance (TAP): Tuesday-Thursday, March 9-11 & 23-25, 8 am-4 pm

VA Benefits: Wednesday, March 10, 8 am-Noon

SPECIAL EVENTS

FLOW (Florida License on Wheels): Wednesday, March 10, 8:30 am-3:30 pm; BX parking lot

Call the A&FRC at 882-9060 to sign up for classes. Class details available at the A&FRC and online at www.eglinforcesupport.com/afrc. Some classes/services open to civilians also.

Chapel news

Catholic Stations of the Cross

The Catholic Stations of the Cross and Lenten Meals will be observed on Wednesdays March 10, 17, and 24 at 5 p.m. at the West Gate Chapel. For information, call Susan Huberty at 882-7320.

Protestant Lenten Devotional, lunch

The Protestant Lenten Devotional and lunches will be at 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays March 10, 17, 24, 31 at the Chapel Center Annex. For information, call the chapel at 882-2111.

National Prayer Breakfast

The Eglin Chapel will host the 2010 National Prayer Breakfast March 25 at the Eglin Officers Club with the buffet starting at 6:30 a.m. and program starting at 7a.m.

The guest speaker is USAF Deputy Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain Brig. Gen. David H. Cyr. Tickets are $3 for club members, $5 for non club members and available through the First Sergeants, chaplains or TSgt. Eley at the Eglin Chapel Center. For information, call the chapel at 882-2111.

Beth Moore simulcast April 24

A Beth Moore live simulcast event of her new message, So Long Insecurity, will take place at Niceville United Methodist Church, 214 Partin Drive South on Saturday, April 24 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

There will be a break for lunch at 11 a.m.

Registration is requested, and a box lunch is available to all registrants. This event and lunch are provided at no cost - a love offering will be accepted.

To register, visit the church Web site www.nicevilleumc.org/women or by calling 678-4411 ext. 127.

An Opportunity to Change

The Base Chapel will be hosting various Bible studies and small group discussions at different times and locations to include: 2 Kings at 11:30 a.m. on Fridays at the Chapel Center, Beth Moore's "Believing God" at 11:30 a.m. on Thursdays at the Chapel Center and many others.

If you are interested in attending or leading a small group Bible study, call the Base Chapel, 882-2111 and talk with Ch O'Dowd.

Retirees

ROWC to meet March 18

The NW FL Retired Officers Wives Club will meet on March 18, at the Eglin Officers Club. Social will begin at 11 a.m. and lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. The program will be: Skit by Jo Yaeger and Friend.

For reservations, call 609-8075 by March 11.

Eglin Services

PCS FAMCAMP reservations

Are you making a PCS move? If so, Eglin's family campgrounds located at Postl' Point and Camp Robbins will accept space reservations up to 30 days prior to your planned stay. Offer is available to military and civilians on PCS orders. When making a reservation, bring a copy of your orders, or fax a copy to 883-1242. PCS spaces are limited. For information, contact John Lilly at 883-1243.

Gen. Henry H. Arnold scholarship

The Gen. Henry H. Arnold education scholarship provides $2,000 grants to children and spouses of active duty, Title 10 AGR/Reserve, Title 32 AGR performing full-time active duty, retired, retired reserve and deceased Air Force members.

Applications are available at www.afas.org. Application deadline is March 12. For information, contact Elaine LaJeunesse at Airman & Family Readiness, 882-4291.

DePLAYment pass offers discounts

A new Year of the Air Force Family initiative offers special free and discounted programs for families of military forces deployed from Eglin for at least 30 days in support of an active Operation during any part of the time period from July 2009 through July 2010.

To take advantage of the child care, youth, recreational and fitness incentives, families of deployed military are invited to bring a copy of deployment orders to the Airman & Family Readiness Center to pick up DePLAYment passes for the whole family and to register online at www.myairforcelife.com to activate the passes. Activated passes must be shown in the participating activity to receive the free or discounted incentives.

For information, contact the Airman & Family Readiness Center at 882-9060.

Spring Parking Lot Sale March 27

It's time once again for Eglin's Spring Parking Lot Sale slated for Saturday, March 27 at 7:30 a.m. on the grass adjacent to the tennis courts near the East Gate.

Everyone authorized access to Eglin is welcome to shop or sell. Space is free.

Participants may bring their own food and beverages. Tables and chairs may be rented at the Outdoor Recreation Center. Restrooms are located in the Fitness Center. 882-5467.

Belly Dancing classes on Thursdays

These popular classes are great fun and good exercise. Beginner through advanced classes are offered by instructor Patricia Thompson on Tuesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. Cost is $40 for four weeks of classes. New sessions begin the first Tuesday of every month, but students may start at any time. Sign up now at the Arts & Crafts Center. For information, call 882-5467.

First Friday 'Show Your Irish'

Celebrate at the Enlisted Club's First Friday social hour on March 5 starting at 4:30 p.m. in the lounge. Menu features corned beef, cabbage and potatoes. Latin Night gets underway at 9 p.m. with DJ Max. Free to Eglin members, $2.50 for all others. Club card drawing will be held for club members. "Show Your Irish" is also the kick off for the 2010 Air Force Club Membership Drive. Members who sign up new members receive one $10 club gift certificate for each new member signed up. 678-5127.

Air Force Clubs offer membership special

All personnel who join any Air Force club now through May 30 will automatically receive three months free dues, free cash back rewards program, and a chance to win $5 - $100 instantly upon application.

Family Child Care orientation

Need a second household income? Become a Family Child Care provider and possibly earn up to $4,500 a month. Persons interested in providing care for children in their homes for more than 10 hours a week on a regular basis must be licensed. Call the Family Child Care office at 882-2994 for more information and to register for the next class session.

Affiliated Family Child Care providers

The Family Child Care office is seeking individuals living in the surrounding communities to become licensed affiliated child care providers.

Affiliated providers must be spouses of a military ID card holder (active or retired). They must meet the State of Florida licensing requirements prior to receiving an affiliated certificate from the Eglin Mission Support Group commander. For information, contact the FCC office, 882-2994 or visit www.eglinforcesupport.com.

Openings in Family Child Care homes

FCC providers have immediate openings for children ages 4 weeks to 12 years of age for hourly, part time, full time, volunteer, PCS, extended duty, reservists, weekend, special needs and overnight care. Homes are located on base, Shalimar, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville and Crestview. Contact the FCC office, 882-2994 or you may download the monthly referral listing at www.eglinforcesupport.com.

Flags flown over the Capitol

The Eglin Arts & Crafts Center sells U.S. flags flown of the U.S. Capitol. Flags are available in both cotton and nylon material and in sizes 3' x 5' and 5' x 8'. Visit the Arts & Crafts complex to purchase yours for that special "going away" or retirement ceremony. Call 882-5467 for price quotes.

Enlisted Club hosts Latin Nights

Get in rhythm with the Enlisted Club's Latin Nights. Join the fiesta in the E-Club's lounge with DJ Max you dance to the exotic sounds of salsa, meringue, bachata, cumbia, reggeaton and more every first and third Friday of the month. Enjoy DJ variety music on alternate Friday nights. Everyone's welcome. 678-5127.

Dog obedience class March 25

Karen Harper teaches basic and intermediate dog obedience curriculum at the Eglin Arts & Crafts Center. Students must pre-pay for the six-session course held on Thursdays from 5-6 p.m. Cost is $70. Upcoming classes are scheduled for March 25-April 29. Register and pick up additional class information at A&C. 882-5467.

Air Force hoops promotion

The Air Force Hoops promotion gives Air Force sports fans (eligible ID card holders over the age of 18), the chance to win big prizes by selecting teams in the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.

You have a chance to win, just by registering and entering your bracket selections – even if you don't get the teams right. Game pieces are available at the Officer's Club, Enlisted Club, Bowling Center and Golf Course.

Play ends March 18. Additional information is available at participating facilities. 882-3352.

Guitar lessons now offered

Arts & Crafts now offers guitar lessons taught by Bill Hahn, guitarist for local group, "Call the Law." Students of all ages will learn how to develop their musical talent under his tutelage. Cost for one-hour of instruction is $30 and $100 for four one-hour sessions. To register and request additional information, call 882-5467.

Drumming lessons offered

The Arts & Crafts Center now offers drumming (percussion) lessons. Classes are taught by Omar S. Hart in the center's music room. Students of all ages will learn how to develop their musical talent under the tutelage of Hart who has several years experience as a performer and educator in music. Cost for 1/2-hour of instruction is $15 and $30 for one-hour lessons. To register and request additional information, call 882-5467.

Piano lessons

Beginner classes are offered by instructor Amy Propst at the Eglin Arts & Crafts Center. Instruction is specialized for teaching children. Cost is $18.75 per 1/2-hour of instruction. For information or to coordinate your first lesson, call the Arts & Crafts Center at 882-5467.

Free Oil Changes for Spouses

Spouses of deployed military members are entitled to a free oil change at the Eglin Auto Hobby Shop, located behind the Eglin Arts & Crafts Center. Eligible members must visit the Airman & Family Readiness Center to obtain their free oil change certificate to be utilized at the auto hobby shop. For information, call 882-2484.

Youth programs

Apprenticeship program for students

Applications are being accepted for the 2010 Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Munitions Directorate, High School Apprenticeship Program (HSAP).

Eligibility and applications requirements can be found at www.eglin.af.mil – then navigate to Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate in the Eglin units sidebar.

Applications will be accepted only according to the procedures outlined in the eligibility requirements. For more information contact Mike Deiler at 883-1919.

Engineering program for students

The Eglin AFB Civilian Personnel Office is accepting applications for positions in the AFRL student summer engineering program.

The positions available under this program are designed to expose college students pursuing a degree in science/mathematics/engineering; the positions will be located in AFRL only.

To apply pick up an applications from your school counselor's office, or at the Civilian Personnel Office on Eglin AFB, 310 W. Van Matre Avenue, Bldg 210, Room 101 on the first floor hallway. The applications will be available in a rack next to the door of Room 101 by the automatic doors at the side entrance.

Applications will be accepted from March 1 - 12 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Applications mailed must be postmarked by March 12.

Students should be enrolled at least part-time in a college curriculum in a science/mathematics/engineering discipline. For more information contact Kathy Owens at 882-5341.

Air Force Teen Aviation Camp

Applications are now being accepted for the 11th Annual Air Force Teen Aviation Camp. The camp, sponsored by the Air Force Services Agency, will be held June 5-10 at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.

The camp is for students who will be sophomores or juniors in high school during the 2010-2011 school year.

Teens eligible for application must be dependents of active duty military assigned to or living on an air force base, AF retired military, AF civilian employees (APF/NAF) or activated Air National Guard or AF Reserve. They should also be interested in aviation, leadership or the USAFA.

Interested teens must complete an application form, familiarization exam and complete an interview with a Youth Center representative. Selected teens will not be accompanied by an adult chaperone.

All lodging, meals and activity fees are paid for by the AF Services Agency. Transportation fees will be the responsibility of the student if selected.

The application, familiarization exam and interview must be completed by March 19. Stop by the Youth Center, Bldg 2582, to pick up an application packet. For information, call 882-8212.

Kids' parties at Bowling Center

Families and kids of all ages are invited to party at the Bowling Center. Cost is $9 per person and includes one hour of bowling (up to 4 per lane), shoe rental, choice of hamburger or hot dog, French fries, and a soft drink or two slices of pizza and a drink. Parents may bring cake, party favors, and decorations.

Expanded Give Parents a Break program

Active duty Air Force families eligible for the Give Parents a Break program include those where a parent is feeling stress due to deployment, extended TDY, remote tour of duty, a family crisis or emergency, a child with special needs, or unique circumstances and hardships. The schedule for 2010 is as follows: March 13, 10 a.m. -3 p.m.; April 10, 5-10 p.m.; May 8, 10 a.m. -3 p.m.; June 12, 5-10 p.m.; July 10, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Aug. 14, 5-10 p.m.; Sept. 11, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Oct. 9, 5-10 p.m.; Nov. 23, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Dec. 11, 5-10 p.m.

In order to be eligible for the program, families must receive a referral from their Squadron Commander or First Sergeant, a Chaplain, a physician, Family Advocacy personnel, Airman & Family Readiness Center personnel or a Child Development Center/Youth supervisor.

For details on this Year of the Air Force Family expanded program or to sign up, call 882-9060.

Story Time for preschoolers

Story time for preschoolers is held on Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. in the Library's children's room for ages 2-4 years. Come and join the fun – stories, crafts and other special activities! On March 9, we'll celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday with a visit from the "Cat in the Hat." 882-5016.

Book Talk: Third Culture Kids

Parents, caregivers and friends of military kids are invited to this book talk about "Third Culture Kids" by David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken. Event will be held at 6 p.m. March 18 at the Library. Guest speaker is Jennifer Paveglio, family counselor and Third Culture Kid.

Third Couture kids are those who have spent some of their growing up years in a foreign country and experience a sense of belonging to their passport country when they return to it. Because of the self-sufficiency of military bases and the distinctiveness of military culture, even those military brats who never lived abroad can be isolated to some degree from the civilian culture of their "home" country. Copies of the book are available for checkout at the Eglin Library. 882-5016

Operation Fit Kids

Operation Fit Kids is a fitness program developed for the School Age Program's youth. The program rewards the youth with points for participating in daily fitness and health activities.

Participants chart their health and fitness progress and display their accomplishments for the entire program to see. The youth will earn prizes for each level of participation. Each participant is also registered in the Fit Factor system to accumulate points in that program also.

As of the new Fit Factor year, Eglin youth are drastically ahead of all other AFMC bases. If your child is not registered, register them now and let's be first in Air Force. Don't forget to log those points! Go to www.afgetfit.com to register. 882-8291

Fitness & recreation

St. Patrick's Day Fitness event

Do you have what it takes to be called Eglin's Fittest? Find out by participating in our annual St. Patrick's Day Fitness Event on March 17 at 8 a.m. at the East Gate Track.

Teams of four are tested on running, push-ups, sit-ups and other physical activities to see which squadron will be titled the "Fittest."

The event is open to active duty military personnel from each of the squadrons on base including assigned squadron DoD personnel and spouses of military members.

Teams will consist of seven people of which five are competing team members: one team captain (non competitor) to annotate individual and team score; one PTL (non competitor) to judge and help with scoring and judging other squadrons; three men (competitors), one of which is at least age 35; and, two women (competitors) any age. 100 penalty points will be assessed for age category infraction.

Teams may register at the Fitness Center through March 15. For information, contact SSgt. Gray at 882-5146.

Parent, child work out area available

A Parent/Child work out area is available at the Eglin Fitness Annex for children under the age of nine.

The area includes several pieces of cardio equipment for the parents and an enclosed area set aside for children with various toys and a TV with DVD capabilities. This space is designated for parents to work out while still watching their children.

Parents are asked to keep their children within eyesight at all times for safety reasons. The parent/child area is available for use during normal annex hours, Monday – Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For information, call 883-9127.

Dive flight plans events

On Saturday, March 27, the Dive Flight will hold its annual the Underwater Easter Egg Hunt at Post'l Point.

The Dive Flight is also sponsoring a multi-day dive trip to the Florida Keys, a reef and wrecks tour starting April 25. For details, contact Robert Hyde at padipro@cox.net.

Aero Club hosts Dauphin Island trip

The Aero Club invites you to join them on a trip to Dauphin Island for lunch on Sunday, March 14. Trip departs Eglin at 9 a.m. and departs Dauphin Island around 1 p.m. Cost is $60 for transportation plus cost of lunch. For information or to book your flight, contact the Eglin Aero Club at 882-5148.

Gate-to-Gate Run/Walk and My First Tri

Mark your calendar now for these two open-to-the-public annual events. The Gate-to-Gate Run/Walk is slated for Memorial Day, May 31 at 7:30 a.m.

My First Tri will be held on June 19, 7 a.m. Check www.active.com for updates for early registration as the dates approach. 882-6223

ITT

Lucky 7-11 Casino Trip

A Lucky 7-11 casino trip is planned for March 14 to the Beau Rivage. Cost is $7 per person or two people for $11 and includes transportation and $15 in free play incentives. Trip departs Eglin ITT at 7 a.m. and returns about 7 p.m. Sign up now. 882-5930.

Cruise for lowest price

In today's economy with fluctuating prices, Eglin ITT assures its customers the best price on cruises. Once you've signed up, your cruise price will not increase before your sail date.

If ITT finds that the price of your cruise drops prior to sail date, they can secure a refund or additional ship credit for you depending on cruise line policy. It's just one of the addend benefits of shopping with a travel agency dedicated to delivering the best product at the best price!

Another benefit – sign up early and take advantage of the easy payment plan. 882-5930.

Walt Disney World tickets

Walt Disney World is saluting the Armed Forces by offering U.S. military personnel - active duty, retired and activated reserve - a specially priced 4-Day Salute Ticket. The new promotion period for the 4-Day Salute Ticket is now through July 31 with tickets fully expiring Sept. 30.

In addition to the ticket for the military member, up to five additional tickets may be purchased for family or friends who accompany the military member. Cost for additional tickets is 4-Day Salute Base, adult or child $99; 4-Day SaluteHopper or 4-Day Salute Base with 4 Fun & More Options, adult or child $125 each; or, 4-Day Salute Hopper with 4 Fun & More Options, adult or child $151 each. This represents a savings of over $100 on some tickets. Black-out dates for all gated attractions March 27-April 9 and July 3-4 for Magic Kingdom only. Full details are available at ITT or visit their Web page at www.eglinforcesupport.com.

Free Seven-Day Ticket to Universal

Universal is offering one free ticket to all U.S. military members – active duty, retirees, National Guard and Reservists.

The complimentary ticket for military members is a two-park, unlimited admission seven-day pass. A companion ticket will be available for purchase by family and friends for $94 each.

There is no limit on the quantity of companion tickets that can be purchased. The two-park, unlimited admission ticket entitlements include valid admission to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure for seven consecutive days and CityWalk venues for seven consecutive nights.

Tickets must be signed and used by the same person on any and all days.

Military receiving a complimentary ticket must sign a mandatory form at ITT which will be used to activate their ticket at the gate. Ticket expiration date is March 26, 2010. 882-5930

Summer Vacation Cruise

Cruise departs Mobile on July 17 for a 5-day cruise aboard Carnival's Elation. Itinerary includes Cozumel and Pregresso, Yucatan. Cost is $528 per person based on double occupancy inside cabin and $578 per person, double occupancy outside cabin. Price includes $100 ship credit. $50 deposit required when reservation is made.

Education

UWF Management Fundamentals offered

Coming Spring 2010, UWF will offer Management Fundamentals on Eglin AFB Wednesday evenings at 5:30 p.m., in building 251.

Management Fundamentals (MAN3025) is a core course requirement for the management degree program. For information or to register, contact Deborah Cluff at 850-678-32727 or e-mail dcluff@uwf.edu.

ERAU Spring term registration

Spring-3 term runs March 22 through May 23 with registration beginning Feb. 23. Embry-Riddle offers Associate, Bachelor and Master Degrees in Aeronautics and Management, and is a proud participant in the Post-9/11 GI Bill Yellow Ribbon program. For information, visit www.erau.edu/fortwaltonbeach or call 850-678-3137.

Community

Women's self defense class

A free Women's self defense class is from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. March 6 at Fitness for Everybody Gym, 109 Hughes Street, Fort Walton Beach.

Master Joe Cayer teaches how to reduce risk of becoming a victim, awareness and streetwise tactical maneuvers.

Topics cover prevention and personal protection. Dress comfortably in loose clothing and sneakers. Preferred ages are 12 and up. No maximum age; great for older adults and teens. Everyone must sign a waiver at the door to participate.

For information, contact Ashley Bailey Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office 850-651-7153 abailey@sheriff-okaloosa.org or Cpl. Traci Randolph Fort Walton Beach Police Department (850) 699-7807 or (850) 833-9558.

Concert4Haiti, Vendor Opportunity

The Okaloosa County Branch, NAACP is planning a Concert in the Park to benefit Haiti from noon till 6 p.m. March 14 at the Fort Walton Beach Landing, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and vendor opportunities are available.

To be a vendor at this event you must contact the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce at (850) 244-8191.

Dinner to celebrate Kennedy, King

On March 13 the Okaloosa County Democratic Executive Committee will host a special dinner to celebrate the legacy of two American icons – President, John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Well-known actor turned business entrepreneur, Wayne M. Rogers will be the guest speaker for the evening. Rogers played Trapper John in the highly successful television series M*A*S*H*, was a Broadway Producer, and is now an investment contributor to a television network program. Rogers earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Princeton University and served in the Navy for three years. He has been involved in numerous investment activities for over forty years and is the founder of and marketing director for the Premier Community Bank of the Emerald Coast. Rogers has served as a National Chairman of Easter Seals and as a member of the Executive Committee of both the Arthritis Foundation and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

The event will begin at 6 p.m., in the K building Mall, at the Northwest Florida State College in Niceville. Tickets are $48 and are available by calling (850)897-5246 or (850)678-1349.

CIC to host golf tournament

Support Children in Crisis by playing in the 4th annual Children's Neighborhood Charity Golf Tournament Friday, March 12 at the Fort Walton Beach Golf Club on the Pines Course.

Check in and lunch is at 11 a.m. with a noon shotgun start. Cost is $75 per person. There will be prizes and awards.

All proceeds go to benefit The CIC Children's Neighborhood.

For information or to register, call 850-864-4242 or visit www.childrenincrisisfl.org.

Art, Science of Job Search seminar

Jobs Plus will hold a seminar series now through March 25 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at JobsPlus One-Stop Career Center, 212 N. Wilson Street, Crestview.

JobsPlus and the Workforce Development Board of Okaloosa and Walton Counties will conduct the seminar series "The Art and Science of Job Search – What your competition doesn't know".

The Seminar Series "capstone" will be an employer question and answer panel. At the conclusion of the panel session there will be an opportunity to network.

ï¬ March 18 – Negotiating & Job Retention

ï¬ March 25 – Employer Question and Answer Panel

There is no cost to attend The Art and Science of Job Search seminar series. However, seating is limited. Reserve a seat by calling 850-833-7587 ext. 211 or e-mail jmcdaniel@jobsplus02.com.

Schools seek mentors/tutors

Okaloosa County Schools are looking for volunteers to mentor and tutor students of Choctawhatchee and Crestview High Schools. Interested persons should contact Elaine Anderson at (850) 833-5815 or David Wheeler at (850) 882-5850.

Panhandle Job Fair set for April 15

The Panhandle Job Fair Foundation will host the Spring Panhandle Job Fair April 15 at Northwest Florida Fairgrounds, 1958 Lewis Turner Blvd, Fort Walton Beach. The job fair will be from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The job fair is free.

Seminars will be offered on federal job applications, resume writing, interviewing techniques, and job search strategies.

Complete information is available at www.panhandlejobfair.com.

Employers will have access to military members from the five Air Force and Naval installations in the area in addition to military veterans and civilian jobseekers.

Employers may register at www.panhandlejobfair.com or by email panhandlejobfair@cox.net.

Registration proceeds from employers will benefit Take Stock in Children.

To submit an item for the briefs, e-mail us at news@eglindispatch.com. Deadline for Friday's edition is noon Monday.

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Job done, Lutz to retire - Detroit Free Press

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 07:04 AM PST

It will be Lutz's second attempt to retire from GM.

Then in December, Whitacre, having just assumed the role of CEO, announced that Lutz would be an adviser to him.

Lutz's outspoken style seemed at odds with Whitacre. As the new CEO reorganized the company, Lutz's place became unclear.

However, he also championed development of the Chevrolet Volt, an electric-drive car that's slated to hit the market later this year and could help improve GM's image.

Contact TIM HIGGINS: thiggins@freepress.com

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Speech by Mr. Takanobu Ito President and CEO, Honda Motor Co. - The Auto Chanel

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 03:01 AM PST

GENEVA – March 4, 2010: Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. I am very pleased to join you today at the Geneva Motorshow. I would like to talk about Honda's vision of the future, by linking it to our past.

Honda began life more than 60 years ago as a maker of motorcycles. But we weren't strictly a motorcycle company. In the post-war era, the people of Japan needed basic mobility. And the first product Soichiro Honda created was a bicycle equipped with a small engine.

From that humble beginning, we now offer many different products to meet the needs of our customers: cars, motorcycles, lawnmowers, marine engines.

One of our smallest creations is the U3-X, the omni-directional electric monocycle you have just seen. And the largest one is also our fastest, the HondaJet.

While the products have changed, our fundamental goal as a company has remained the same for the last 60 years and beyond. We will continue to supply mobility products that offer our customers fun and convenience. And to achieve this, we must create mobility that also meets society's green needs with a dramatic reduction of CO2 emissions.

FCX Clarity and SHS
On your right is the car of the future made today. FCX Clarity runs on electricity generated onboard by the reaction of hydrogen in the tank and oxygen in the air. It emits only water, and has a driving range of 460 kilometres. We believe that fuel cell electric vehicles are the ultimate solution to reduce CO2 emissions. We welcome the question – "Where will you get the Hydrogen?" In fact, Honda is leading the way in developing new technologies for hydrogen refuelling.

Recently, we developed a very compact solar hydrogen station. By creating a new high differential pressure electrolyser, Honda engineers were able to completely eliminate the compressor. This new system is 25 % more efficient, and is compact enough to be used in the home. So, my answer to the question is, "why not produce hydrogen in your home?"

3R-C and EV-N
On your left are two Honda design studies for zero-emission city commuter cars. Congested city traffic is one of the leading causes of vehicle emissions. We must make city transport cleaner. EV-N is a design study of the smallest city car that is capable of accommodating four people. 3R-C is another design study for city commuters with three wheels for one driver. Both are intended to be driven by electric motors.

Hybrid Expansion
In the days ahead, we will further expand our hybrid line-up. Hybrid is the most important and effective technology to cut CO2 emissions today. The Jazz hybrid will be introduced in Europe early next year. So, with Civic Hybrid, Insight, the new sporty CR-Z, and soon Jazz Hybrid, Honda aims to maximise the fuel efficiency of mobility today while we work towards the goal of zero-emission mobility for tomorrow.

CR-Z
And now, it is my pleasure to introduce to you the latest hybrid model from Honda – CR-Z. This unique car combines a hybrid system with a 6-speed manual transmission, in a dynamic coupé styling. It is for people who seek new values in a car. For people who want fun-to-drive spirit and lower CO2 emissions.

In the late 80s, I was in charge of body development for the Honda NSX, the world's first all aluminium, mass production sports car. Our challenge was to build a car with all-aluminium construction to improve both efficiency and dynamics. With the CR-Z, the challenge of our engineers was still to create a car with great dynamics and fuel efficiency.

CR-Z is a new kind of hybrid. Of course, it is a hybrid car that uses petrol and electricity. But more than that, it is a hybrid of a sporty car and an eco car. Given the different driving characteristics offered by the 3-mode drive system, once you are behind the wheel, you can choose sporty driving or eco driving at your will.

I am proud to present to you the CR-Z, a new hybrid that offers both fun and fuel efficiency in one dynamic package!

Thank you for your attention.

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